Dark Underworld
by terra hotaru
Summary: In the Underworld, everything is legal. What good is bad, what bad is good. Be wicked and you will be looked up upon, defend justice and you will be killed. How can someone like Roxas cope in the Underworld? Dark AkuRoku. YAOI. Lemon. Torture. Blood.Gore
1. Giving it All Up

In the Underworld, everything is legal. What good is bad, what bad is good. Be wicked and you will be looked up upon, defend justice and you will be killed. How can someone like Roxas cope in the Underworld? (Dark AkuRoku. YAOI. Lemon.)

So, I came up with something dark.

**Warning: **There will be lemon and torture and this is YAOI and dark. If you're uncomfortable with it, don't read, stay away. If it's not your thing, then also don't read, stay far away. I've warned you.

**Edit: **Some errors are corrected, thanks to **Gamet Kauum Gekxoum **for pointing them out.

**Chapter One**

**Giving it all Up**

The ruckus and the noises in the room and the shouts and the screams of females, pleading for the devils to let them go and the blood that stained the carpet and the walls crimson and the scratching and the whipping and the barking commands and the cries…it was common—too common to hear in the Underworld that no one even noticed those sounds anymore. Ghosts flew around, Grim Reapers carrying scythes, searching for preys, Devils carrying swords and spears, ready to pierce any intruders, and above all was their leader. The leader of the Underworld, the cruel, merciless King who would not hesitate to kill every living being, to destroy and incinerate anything that get in his way. He was the burning fire of hell itself, Axel.

No one that was ever seen talking to him came back out alive. He would burn everything, friends or foes and no one could ever survive his raging fire. There was no doubt, always exceptions in this world and of course, this also applied to the powerful king of the Underworld.

Demons with only skulls, skeletons, cloaks, flew and walked around the area. Axel merely looked. The party was held an hour ago; it was Halloween—perfect for the Underworld. Axel was forced to join and watch as the lowly servants and lesser demons tried to entertain him. Blood could be seen spilling and pooling everywhere. Part of it was because of the design in the Halloween party and part of it was real blood from demons and ghosts that Axel had injured. The Halloween Party in the Underworld would last for another three hours and more blood was expected to be spilled.

Strangely, even though Axel, the redheaded king was merciless, everyone bowed to and obeyed him. No one would dare betray him or even plot anything against him. There were past rebellions that took hold in the Underworld and the one that took place a thousand years ago was the most brutal ones. Axel was almost killed in the rebellious act but luckily, he survived through and lived until today. The traitors were executed, leaving not a single soul alive. Everything was fairly peaceful in the Underworld then. Only small rebellions would take place—which could be easily wiped out by Axel.

A number of bare, naked werewolves with huge breasts danced around Axel, trying to seduce the King into sleeping with them. One of the things that made the King famous was his strength in bed. He could sleep with eleven, twelve, even twenty woman and had sex with them and felt nothing—not exhausted, no pleasure, nothing. He felt nothing. Some that slept with him were killed in the process but none backed out, only more came to offer themselves to him.

Axel smirked, sitting relaxed on his throne. His spiky red hair swayed as he shifted his sitting position and the red crimson armor he was wearing clunk, making nice sounds amidst all the chaos and ruckus. All he needed to do was a flick of his hand and the area would be silenced instantly. However, it seemed that the red King wasn't even bothered at all by the noise, by the screams of women demons being raped in front of him. All was entertainment for him until he fell into his bad mood and started with his killing spree.

Those that lived in the Underworld, the lesser demons, the white beings called dusks, the vampires, ghosts, ghouls, phantoms, grim reapers—were mere nothing that could be reproduced again and again. The only thing that was needed was a soul—a soul that could contain them and those souls could be easily obtained from the 'stream of life' that was flowing beneath the Underworld. There was another world that goes deeper than the Underworld where if any residents from the Underworld were killed, they would return there and it was left to the 'life-creature' to bring them back to the Underworld. However, all these were not simple process and those that were considered 'inferior' souls would be terminated and might never leave the 'stream of life' forever.

There was one protector who stayed in the 'stream of life', protecting the Underworld. No one—none, except Axel knew about that fact…

The blaring loud music pierced through everyone's ears. Then suddenly, the music stopped. Two ogres carrying spears and swords on their back came in, holding a small boy that was four times smaller compared to the ogres. The boy glared with his cerulean eyes. His face covered with white—almost like diamond—helmet. He stared from behind his helmet, eyes narrowed to mere slits, loathing every sight that he was taking in.

In front of him sat that man…the man he loathed so much. "My King, we caught an intruder in the party," one of the ogres reported, kneeling down and pushing and shoving the little boy to Axel.

"And who is this?" Axel asked calmly, still sitting, not even a single trace of emotion could be seen radiating from his face. He stood then, approaching the boy, taking off the helmet, and his eyes were met with those bright cerulean, those golden locks. Axel's emerald eyes narrowed and he smirked, showing his fangs. "And you are?"

"You don't need to know my name," the blond hissed.

"How did you get out?"

"What?" the boy frowned.

Axel shoved the boy back to the ogres. The boy stumbled to the floor, landing with a loud thud. "This party is over," he said with a deep voice and then without any warnings, the area was surrounded by walls of fire. Several lesser demons were killed while there were those who stood in a safe area and remained untouched by the fire. The temperature in the room rose extremely. It ceased afterwards, leaving only ashes.

All the demons merely stood and watched and the noises were gone. "Bring the boy to my room," he ordered, walking away, giving the boy a last glance.

--

"Get your filthy hands off of me, you fucking ogres!" the boy shouted.

"Shut up and walk, punk!" the ogre screamed with a deafening voice.

"If it was not for the King, we would have killed you earlier," the other ogre added.

"Then kill me! I'd be better off dead than having to go to _his_ room!"

"No one ever comes back out alive once they entered the King's room, you can rest assured boy."

The blond grunted. He couldn't get away from the ogres when his weapons are taken away. Soon, they arrived and he was once again shoved and pushed inside the room, the ogres not following and they quickly closed the door, leaving him there.

The blond recollected himself and stood, staring face to face with Axel. "I'm going to kill you," the blond hissed.

"You're a human, aren't you?" the King smirked, standing up, towering over the blond.

"I am," the blond glared with expression full of hatred.

"Tell me your name."

"It's none of your…Ah!" the blond jerked and yelped when Axel took hold of his wrist and began scratching, tearing the delicate skin open with his nails, drawing out blood.

"Tell me."

"I won't!" the blond shouted, trying to ignore the pain in his wrist. The nails kept going deeper and deeper and more blood spilled and dropped on the floor.

Without much effort, Axel lifted the boy up and tossed him on the crimson red covered bed. The blond landed there, hissing, holding his bleeding wrist. "I have to find out in the rough way," the redhead narrowed his eyes.

He took the blond yet again and with some unseen force, he tore open the white armor that the blond was wearing. The King scooted closer to the now naked blond, looking over the delicate lithe body. The blond tried to struggle but Axel quickly pinned the smaller boy down on the bed. "You'll be begging to let me know your name later," Axel smirked, his fangs showing.

The King leaned down and placed his fangs at the blond's neck, sucking, and drawing out streams of blood, enjoying the taste of copper and iron that assaulted his mouth. In a strange way, the blood tasted sweet for him—so sweet that he would drink up all the blood that was in the blond's body. The blond jerked and screamed because of the pain. However, at the same time, he felt such a sinful pleasure that he tilted his head a bit to give Axel better access.

Axel's hand caressed the blond's body, smoothing it up and down and the blond shivered, biting his lips hard to prevent himself from letting out moans of pleasure. Axel drew his nails into the delicate skin, drawing out blood and inflicting wounds everywhere on the blond's body and he leaned down to lick the blood clean. The blond screamed, pleading, crying. Axel grunted and moved his hand down—lower and lower and lower until he came to the blond's member, wrapping his hand around it skillfully and began pumping it. The blond couldn't hold it anymore and he parted his lips, letting out moans that sounded too sexy for the King's ears. It had been so long since Axel had heard those sounds, felt the pleasure. He moved up again to plant his fangs on the blond's neck.

The King released his fangs from the blond's neck soon and went up to plant a hard kiss on the blond's lips. "Roxas…" the blond moaned into the kiss. Axel moved his head up a bit to look at the blond's flushed face. "My name…" he moaned, "it's Roxas…so please, stop…" he pleaded.

Axel narrowed his eyes. "Roxas…" he hissed and slammed his lips onto the blond's, _hard_. His pumping began to increase in speed, making Roxas screamed and moaned even harder. The tip of Roxas' member began to seep out white liquid and Axel noticed as his bare hand that was wrapping it became wet and slippery. He continued ravaging the blond's mouth with his skillful tongue while at the same time pumping Roxas into completion.

Roxas could taste copper and iron and he hated it. He wanted to go away—tears began streaming out—out of control. He felt the pleasure yet at the same time he felt misery. What had he gotten into? He moaned again, his face bright red, redder than the King's fiery hair. He shut his eyes tight as he felt that he was about to come. To his surprise, the redhead stopped.

Axel scooted down and brought his lips upon the blond's erected member and he took the length in, licking and teasing. "Ah! S-stop…" the blond pleaded again. Axel ignored the plea and began to suck. "I'm…I'm…" before Roxas could continue his words, he came, spurting out his seeds that went straight into Axel mouth. Axel licked the cum clean, leaving no trace.

Roxas shuddered, tears still streaming out. It was silence for a while, not until he felt two fingers intruding him. He cried out as the fingers began stretching him, pushing in and pulling out. That night, Roxas wished for nothing more than his death.

--

This might not make much sense… But I hope you enjoyed it. My first gory lemon… Thank you! Oh, and happy belated Halloween! I hope this satisfy the Halloween scares.


	2. Pain, Pain, Pain, Soaring

Oh my God, okay, reviews boomed up to 21. thank you to Riku2233 who's given me 12 consecutive reviews! Thank you very much. Thank you for everyone else who reviewed too. Let's see, **Sarie Bear** (my first reviewer), **Zeroinfinity, IlOvEgAaRa666, Danacyrus, linkybear_, May All Your Bacon Burn, HugeFan, AbsoluteAkuRoku, **and** SkyeFlyte.** Thank you so very much! I really appreciate all the reviews. I was afraid that people would flame me for writing something like this. Anyway, I've prepared plots and twists for you so I hope you guys will bear with me and prepared to get confused at some parts. I hope to hear from you all again!!! =D And this author's note gone too long…thank you! Thank you!!!

**Edit**: Thanks to **Gamet Kauum Gekxoum** for pointing out mistakes

**Chapter Two**

**Pain, Pain, Pain—Soaring…**

It was such a cold night. The pants and moans continued to ring and echo for all night long in the King's room. Roxas had lost count how many times it continued—how many times he was intruded. It hurt—it hurt so much. Tears kept streaming out endlessly that the blond thought that his tears would dry up soon. All those screams and pleads that he voiced out was ignored completely by the King. It was as if he made no sound at all and the King continued to take him, drink his blood, bleed him, wound him, injure him, make him cum…

His voice was all gone and he soon learned that it was no use struggling, it was no use pleading, it was no use doing anything—all he needed to do was to obey—obey and submit and actually try to give Axel pleasure and make the redhead happy. Anything other than that was useless. He wanted to scream and plead even more but his voice refused to come out. His voice refused to cooperate with him. His body was screaming—telling him how tired he was, telling him that he should stop soon, telling him that he should get away from the beast that was intruding him and penetrating him again and again.

Axel continued to take him—sweats could be seen covering the two naked bodies in the room. It was glimmering, shining, as if supporting them to continue all night, all morning, forever. The King didn't even look tired at all. His face remained emotionless but he would smirk once in a while and pant, face flushed from the activity. The slamming could be heard. The redhead kept pushing in and pulling out of the blond and cum, caused by the friction created between the blond's tight skin and his length.

The King finally stopped, pulling out and getting away from the blond after the countless times he bonded with the blond—as if nothing happened at all. The blond came soon after and he cried again. Axel lay on the bed, beside Roxas, pulling the comforter over their naked body. The crimson comforter was dirty, stained, because of their previous exhausting activity—at least for Roxas.

Tears kept streaming out, pooling, causing everything that made contact to become damp and wet. Roxas whimpered silently, sobbing, crying, sniffling… He hurt all over and his lower region felt the worst. He could feel blood and something sticky inside. The King's seed…it's inside him. He wanted it out…

The blond curled up into a small ball, facing his back against the redheaded monster. He felt as if he was gagged. He wanted to swallow but it seemed as if there was an unseen force that forbade him to swallow. He was forced—again and again and again to lick the redhead's cum clean and swallow them. It was so disgusting, so sickening that his throat had closed all access to everything altogether…

That night was the longest night in Roxas' life. He loathed himself for enjoying the pleasure. He couldn't ignore the pleasure that was coursing through his body as the redhead kept raping him, continuously—endlessly. No, it was not pleasure! He refused to acknowledge that sin. What would his people say if they found out what happened? He had mate with the King of the Underworld—the fire of hell that his people wanted to extinguish—the person that everybody wanted to vanquish. He had sinned. It was an unforgivable crime. He didn't deserve to live—he would be executed. He wanted to kill himself…and he was planning to take the redheaded beast with him.

God must be happy in playing with him. In that condition, he didn't even have the energy to move even a single limb of his body. He laid there—the soft, fluffy bed swallowing him whole. He only laid there, cerulean eyes wide open, never blinking, never shutting. Its colors fading, vanishing as time kept ticking and it became blank—an expression of horror, of fear, of complete misery. He didn't move. It was as if all he had left with was his meat, his skin—bleeding. There was no more bone in his body to support him—there was _nothing_ at all to support him.

The redhead smirked, knowing exactly the blond's pain. At the same time, he could feel pain in his chest—pain that he had forgotten for long. He breathed evenly, looking to the ceiling of his room. Both the King and the blond didn't sleep that night—eyes wide open—refusing to close, refusing to embrace the sleep that was tempting them.

The only sound that could be heard was Roxas' sniffling and sobbing, silently, almost as if there was no sound at all—all night, the tears kept flowing out all night akin to an endless river that never dried. All Axel could taste in his mouth was the sweet flavor of the blond's blood and he craved for more…more pain, more pleasure, more blood, more suffering, more crimson, more…

--

The lesser demons, the devils, the ogres, the ghosts, the phantoms, all kinds of beings in the Underworld went scrambling out of their slumber once the sun showed its glory. Of course, they were deep down inside the ground where even the glory of the sun couldn't reach. However, they each had their internal clocks which signaled whether it was night or morning—whether they should sleep or rise. Morning was when they should be roaming around the Underworld, doing their own jobs, creating chaos and misery and impressing the King. Some would go and bring back some humans to treat them as slaves, to rape them, to use them as they saw fit—some would kill their own kinds and the lesser demons were the easiest prey.

At the side of the hall where all the beings in the Underworld gathered, there were decorations of human's head, hanging, attached on web of strings that were stretched down from the ceiling. It was such delightful decorations of the faces of the rebels that defied the King's rule. There were some that were still alive even after their heads were separated from their bodies—this was because of their powerful magic and will to live. Their eyes blinked, watching as every reapers passed them by, not taking their souls away because the King had ordered to leave them alone, letting them suffer with their souls for eternity, only looking with necks unattached to a body—with necks bleeding and spurting out sticky and mucky liquid of red every single day, pooling on the cinnamon colored floor.

Axel walked pass the sight, ignoring everything, ignoring the pleas and shouts that was directed to him. He continued walking, already done with his business in the deep underground of the underworld where the stream of life slumbered. There was nothing wrong there as he had expected. He knew that someone must be trying to spin a thread that would lead to war and more blood again, more misery, and more sufferings. It was a pleasure to kill but having to take care of any aftereffects of that was another different issue. After such a long time of ruling the Underworld, he knew that it was best to use his brain instead of brawl. He would rather not start a war if it was possible. If the war started, no one would side with the Underworld, while the human world and the celestial world up above will back each other up and fight hand in hand against them. The event a thousand years ago deeply reminded him of the horrible things that could happen.

Stepping inside of his room once again, he saw the sleeping form of the blond. Roxas was sleeping so quietly and peacefully, almost like an angel—in a way, he is an angel since he most definitely came to Underworld from the Celestial world. Axel could see no other reasons for the white armor. No one would be cruel enough to want to disturb the peaceful form and of course, for Axel, it was different.

Without any warning, Axel grabbed hold of the blond's wrist. The blond was jolted up abruptly and he immediately yelped as if saying that '_It was not a dream?'_ His cerulean eyes widened to an unbelievable size once he stared eye to eye with the slits of emerald eyes in front of him. Axel carved his nails into the delicate skin, drawing out blood yet again to the same area last night at which the blood had dried off. Satisfied of the blood that seeped out of the blond's wrist, Axel easily pulled the blond up. With painfully slow motion, the redhead licked off the blood that continued to stream out as he kept pushing his nails in. Roxas screamed and somehow moaned out of the pain, the itch, and the smearing piercings and stabs and jolts of ache that coursed through his body as Axel's tongue made contact with the new fresh wound.

When the King finally released Roxas, Roxas fell down on the bed. Not moving even a single inch, whimpering, slowly moved one of his hands to cover his wrist that had slit open a couple of centimeters, hoping to stop the icky crimson liquid to spill out more. Even moving one micrometer of his limbs hurt. The pain kept abusing him, added with the cold and the frost that was threatening to freeze him.

"What are you here for?" Axel asked in his deep calm voice.

Roxas shifted, gathering all his energy just in order to get himself to sit up on the bed. His lower regions kept sending stings to his lithe body, mercilessly. He tried his best to think of something else that would make him forget the pain, the sorrow of having mated with the King. He remained still and silent, merely glaring at the man in front of him.

"I asked you a question, blondie," Axel smirked sadistically, sneaking one of his hands to the back of the blond's neck, and pulling him in causing their faces to meet and merely millimeters away for their lips to crash.

"I have a right to not answer you! Get your filthy hands off me!"

"Playing hard to get?" Axel smirked.

"…"

"You'll not be able to do anything anyway and I suppose the people from where you are from will come here soon to take you back. That is if they even care about you."

"They will!" Roxas hissed.

"We'll see. If they are, that would also means that you are still of use to them."

"I'm not being used! Stop talking like you know me, you monster!"

Axel laughed.

Before the conversation could continue, there was knocks on the door. "My King!" called the demons from outside the door with deep voice.

"Speak," Axel said, standing up and leaving Roxas all alone on the bed.

"The Celestial's underlings are here, requesting a discussion with your highness. They are gathered at the upper castle, at the Burning Mountains region."

"Underlings?" the King snarled.

"Y-Yes, Sir…"

"Fight them all off, leave only one alive and send that one back to relay that I will only hold 'discussions' with them if they bring their Queen."

"Yes, my Lord."

After that, there was silence.

"The Queen won't come down here just to meet someone lowly like you," Roxas growled.

"So, you are from Celestial. If the Queen doesn't come, that means you're not worth it."

"Let me go!"

"I'm not restraining you. Go if you can."

Roxas was silenced. He was not restrained, he was free to move, he was free to go, but he knew clearly that he wouldn't even be able to take a single step on the floor. His body was wasted and it would take him time to recover and it seemed he had lost too much blood since his face was pale. His cerulean eyes had lost their shine and their beauty.

"You Celestials are a nuisance." Axel opened a portal from the thin air and the portal began to form into a screen, showing the fight between the Celestial and the Underworld underlings. Blood was spilled, stomach was cut open, heads were torn off from their bodies—and some demons could be seen taking out the insides of the Celestials and happily devouring them, drinking every blood, chewing the intestines, swallowing… Roxas narrowed his eyes, a single tear dropped and he looked away, not having the courage to watch his own kinds being killed—not even feeling amused. They were the winged ones—the ones sent to retrieve him. They were higher up than him and to watch them being slaughtered without a single drop of sweat…was heart wrenching.

Axel laughed. "Your Queen won't rule long with underlings like that."

Roxas didn't say anything; he closed his eyes but couldn't close his ears. He could hear the shouts of his own kin being killed and he couldn't do anything but observe, closing his eyes, just wanting to die and do away with everything.

--

I think I've gotten back to everyone's review. If I missed some, don't hesitate to sue me or curse me. : D ahaha, I'll double check! I've dedicated myself to always reply every single review. Thus, I'm really sorry if I do miss one! Thank you!! I hope you enjoyed this! It's always lovely to know what you guys think!!!


	3. Keyblade

As, I said in my profile, here is the update for your weekend entertainment (although a little early). Umm, actions in this one. :D I hope you guys don't get bored of it.

Woot, 35 reviews for two chapters?! Thank you very much!!! Thank you for the lovely reviews! Let's see… SkyeFlyte, Zeroinfinity, IlOvEgAaRa666, Danacyrus, May All Your Bacon Burn, Rikku2233, bloodyhacker19, Sarie Bear, cookies-n'-milk-yo, blackpantha, Lady Shadow Angel, Elekstoniske Kid, and sad kuroneko. You are all so awesome! Thank you for the lovely reviews! They made my day! I hope you guys have a great day and I hope to hear from you again! Now, enjoy!! :D

**Warning: **Sadly, not much AkuRoku in here. D: Tons of descriptions. D: And I beg beyond beg...please don't get turned off because of the appearance of a certain _person_ here. I swear, the plot will revolve and unfold. I hope you'll stay with me!

**Chapter 3**

**Keyblade**

Roxas didn't know how long he had slept. Everything around him was still the same when his cerulean eyes jolt open and found out that he wasn't dreaming. With much effort, he sat up on the bed, wincing at the pain sent to this body from his lower back. He hissed a little and then he came to remember that he must have cried himself to sleep. It was weird. He took in a deep breath, determined that he was not going to cry again. It was no use being a wimp in that condition. It wouldn't make anything better; it would just make it worse, showing the beings of the Underworld how weak he was. Unlike in Celestia, he knew that showing his weakness would only mean his doom in the Underworld. While in the upper world, he would gain comfort and support from people that would make him stronger. He knew the Underworld all too well. He knew… he had some recollections…

It was the risk he was willing to take when he had decided to go to the Underworld. He never would have thought that he would have to go through all of that…certainly not being raped by the King himself. "What has happened…has happened…" he mumbled, raking his mess of golden locks with his hand. Tears were threatening to fall down again when images of last night—of the man taking him again and again, of how his kinds were killed—came streaming into his head. He shook it off, taking in a deep breath yet again, biting his lower lip, holding the tears from coming out, and he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat.

He must do something before the redheaded beast came inside the room again. He wouldn't even want to stop to imagine what the King would do to him next. It was horrifying… Slowly, he slid to the edge of the bed. His body was naked and he would need some clothes. Carefully, he touched his bare feet with the cold cinnamon tiled floor, as if he were about to plunge into a deep ocean, using his toe to taste whether or not the water was cold. In this case, the floor was cold. He shivered a bit, shaking, and he finally stepped on the floor. He winced, falling back, sitting on the bed with his hands holding him up. He tried again, more slowly this time. He managed to hold his balance and he stood there, trying to move. Soon, he came to adapt to the pain and started to ignore it, walking around and finding some clothes to wear, and soon, stepping out of the room cautiously in search of his weapons.

--

Axel knew all along that the blond would leave his room no matter what. He would love to see Roxas struggle, to observe how the blond was going to make it out of his castle, to learn what Roxas was trying to accomplish, and to find out what the Celestians are planning.

The demons had accomplished their job of eliminating the angels that were sent from Celestial, leaving only one behind to relay the information to the queen. He was quite sure that it would provoke the Celestians and it would start war. However, it seemed that Roxas was quite important to them—seeing that the queen herself sent high level angels to hold discussions with him. "Discussions," he scoffed, laughing. It was interesting though…the Underworld and the Upperworld had lost contact for over a hundred years now, so why suddenly this blond kid snooped into the Underworld? Wasn't the war a thousand years ago enough to remind them of what would happen if war started again? The King wouldn't care. If a war was coming to him, so be it. He was bored and images painted with crimson blood would indefinitely bring him entertainment and pleasure.

He sat there on his throne, his head tilted to the side, held up by his hand, and the other arm rested on the throne's arm rest. Axel wasn't wearing his armor anymore. Instead, he wore tight black pants and black shirt fitted with black hooded cloak. His emerald eyes shone as they watched the blond's movements intently.

It was empty in the throne room. The Reapers were out hunting for souls, the demons were creating chaos somewhere in the human world, the lesser demons were guarding the castles, Lilims were out finding their sleeping males prey, and Ghosts were cleaning up the castle, and so on.

Lilims, out of all the beings that inhabited that Underworld were the most peculiar ones. They lived and thrived out of lust. Their whole function was out of lust. Every night, Lilims would fly out of the Underworld in search of their victims—which were usually human male prey. They would sneak into their victims' residences and had sex with them when they were sleeping. However, when their victims woke up, they didn't know that what happened the night before was actually real. They thought it was a dream—never knowing that those beings that took a beautiful and gorgeous form of a young girl had sucked the life out of them.

Lilims operated and functioned through the life and the lusts that they sucked out of their victims. If they continued visiting the same victim at night, the victim would eventually die, having their source of life slowly absorbed, living them with an empty body.

Axel smirked when dusks came in the blond's way.

--

Roxas was walking along the hallway, all the while trying to trace down and figure out where his weapons might have been taken to. He was wearing the clothes that he found in the wardrobe in the bedroom. To his surprise, he found attire that fit his body perfectly. Denim colored pants with a shirt and a denim jacket. He had a checkerboard wristband on his wrist, covering the wound that Axel had inflicted there.

He scanned the area around him with his cerulean eyes, taking in everything, not intending to forget the images he had seen. There were heads hanging around the ceiling, pleading for him to free them. Roxas cringed and narrowed his eyes out of disgust. The blood was pooling on the floor, coming from the heads without bodies. The veins and the ribs that were inside the neck of the body could be seen clearly from where Roxas was standing.

He recognized some faces. He was taught in history of the battle a thousand years ago—of how his ancestors were killed cruelly by the beings of the Underworld, of how the Celestians barely survived the war. He was tempted to help but currently, that was not his objective. He would rather have his weapons by his side rather than walking around bare handed.

His eyes were not staring up front when he took another step forward and into a room. When he shifted his attention back to the area he was walking to, he found himself trapped by white peculiar beings that Roxas knew from books that they were called Dusks, the lowest ranking of the beings in the Underworld. He grunted. If he had his weapons, he was sure that he could slice them into half in a matter of seconds, but without them, he was defenseless and he would be the one that would be sliced in a matter of seconds.

Taking a deep breath, he began to come up with a strategy. He looked around. There was a chandelier up above the circle room he was in. However, the chains that were tying the chandelier in place weren't something that he could break easily. He looked again, there were torches that lit the room, burning in fire. There were also vases and other sharp weapons that were used as a decoration on the wall.

Before he could think of anything any further, the dusks were already coming upon him, ready to attack. He quickly jumped and dashed to the side with high agility and avoided the attacks that were directed to him. He counted in between his breath, shifting his eyes around. _"One, two, three, four, five, six…" _there were six of those beings and he was all alone with no weapon in a room full of weapons as decorations. He hastily scanned the room and he found some opening.

A dusk came forward to attack him, trying to slice him with its weapon shaped hand. Easily, he jumped away, onto the table. Taking a deep and hurried breath, he crouched and jumped off to the wall across him, stepping on it and attempting yet another jump, until finally he came to take hold of a spear that was resting on two hooks on the wall. He grabbed it and landed graciously with the weapon in his hand on the floor. He came face to face with the six dusks.

A smile graced his pale face. He panted, feeling tired more than ever. The wounds that the redheaded beast had inflicted on him had dried off earlier but now, possibly because of his previous actions, the wounds reopen and his wrist began to seep out blood, which dropped on the floor. He could feel the wounds in his abdomen caused by Axel's nails began to open—and he could feel the cold mucky liquid bursting out.

He panted, holding the spear in his battle stance and he swung the weapon. To his surprise, the spear passed through the dusk's body—straight through without inflicting any damage. He frowned. That was _not_ supposed to happen. In his training battle in Celestia, he was able to inflict damage and slice the dusks into half by using any weapons…so why now, in the Underworld, he was unable to do so? Was he doomed to die there?

He sliced, again and again while at the same time avoiding the series of attacks directed to him from the dusks. It was no use, every slice, every attack passed straight through. It came to a standstill and the dusks were standing there, swaying around as if mocking him.

--

Axel watched. He was contemplated to go to the blond to stop the dusks. Then he finally did so, he closed the screen portal that he had opened earlier and went out of the throne room, rushing to the Chandelier Room where Roxas was. He was not about to let his toy die in the mere hands of dusks. Let alone, this toy was of use for him to provoke the Celestians.

--

Roxas narrowed his eyes. The pain in his lower back soared up to him again, reminding him of just how much pain he could take in. His breath became short huffs and pants and his visions blurred. He shook his head, trying hard to stay awake and not fall down on the floor. He didn't want to sleep…It was not drowsiness that was waiting for him. It was unconsciousness of losing blood, of taking in too much pain—he was still a mortal even though he was a Celestian.

He tried his best to stand up straight and he did. He held up his spear and its tip blinked from the shine by the fire. Suddenly, he could feel the spear pulling his body up front. His cerulean eyes widened as the spear changed into some peculiarly shaped weapon. It looked like a blade but at the same time, it shaped like a key. He held it up close to him, observing it with surprise in his face.

"This is…" he breathed.

"The keyblade."

The voice synced together, Roxas' soft voice and Axel's deep voice. The redheaded King was standing outside of the room in amazement. He narrowed his emerald eyes. "The keyblade…" he muttered again.

"But how?" Roxas shook his head. Before he could think any further, the dusks came rushing forward to attack him. He quickly stood on his ground. One, two, three, four, five, six…all fall, cut down by the keyblade. Their heads ripped apart, their bodies sliced, the insides of their stomach came spurting out, and blood burst out, staining the blond's pale face red. Then, the beings disappeared into nothingness, leaving only crimson blood behind. Roxas breathed, his visions became heavy. One of his eyes was covered by the dusks blood, blocking him more from seeing clearly. He bit his lower lip—holding himself from fainting. The smell of copper and iron was making him drowsy.

He must continue on.

However, the darkness said otherwise. It overtook him. Roxas fell on his knees, his hand still gripping the weirdly shaped weapon—the Kingdom Key. Soon, he fell, lying with his stomach on the cold floor, with his neck bending sideways,, and the Keyblade vanished into nothingness. Axel stepped in. His footsteps rang across the Chandelier room and the sounds of splattering could be heard when his shoes made contact with the filthy red liquid pooling on the floor.

He looked at the boy who was lying right in front of him, face expressionless.

--

The clouds were brilliant white, mixed with the beautiful blue that painted the sky. The humans were working their days off. Some tending the farms, some cutting woods, some fishing at the lake… The sun shone with its full glory, not even shy or hiding behind the clouds. In the middle of the green forests, there was a small hut.

A Mohawk blond could be seen cutting the woods and a lilac haired teen was picking up the woods. Suddenly, in the middle of their activities, the lilac haired teen stopped, his lilac bangs hiding half of his face to the world. He stared to nothing, eyes wide, his mouth slightly agape, and he returned to his emotionless face.

"He has awakened."

"What?" the Mohawk blond asked.

"It is starting…"

"It's…starting? You mean…"

"It would be soon…" the lilac haired teen whispered and went back to his activity, chopping the woods, and gathering them together. "We should hurry back."

The Mohawk blond stared, not saying anything and he also went back to his previous activity.

--

Up above the human world, on the clouds, far above, stood a Castle colored white. It was floating, standing tall on the clouds. The clouds, even though they may look vulnerable and weak, were able to support such a huge castle without looking like they were about to crumble. Deep inside, in the upper level of the castle, was where the queen slumbered. Bells could be heard creepily ringing across the sky, one time, two times, three times…and it stopped when it struck twelve.

There was chattering between angels, of humans trading, selling, and buying groceries. Unicorns could be seen running around the clouds, determining which was fastest amongst them. Fairies were playing tag, chasing each other around—as they flew around the area, they left behind trails of fairy's dust which illuminated bright green shine. Valkyries were training their skills against each other and some were hitting the wooden dummies. The children of mortals and immortals played hide and seek. The Gods were watching silently from their thrones.

The highest of them all was the newly appointed queen. The queen was the kindest person in all of Celestia. Forgiving, beautiful, kind, gracious, merciful, yet at the same time, she was hard to trick and she observed what was going on in Celestia with her watchful eyes, ruling with her generosity and wisdom.

She was uneasy all morning. She knew something wrong was going on in Celestia but she still hadn't found out what. She had some slight guesses but she couldn't find any proof. Roxas had definitely been missing from the Upperworld and she was almost sure that the blond had gone to the Underworld. However, she hoped beyond hoped that she was wrong, that it was her mind playing tricks with her. Her fears were confirmed when one of the angels she had sent to the Underworld returned to her with parts of his body missing. The angels left leg, his right arm—they were still bleeding uncontrollably. Veins and pieces of meats were shown out, proving that the cut was not thorough.

"Samzel!" the queen spoke, worry apparent in her soft voice.

"My Queen, I am sorry to report that… the team has been eradicated…"

"Eradicated?" the queen asked.

"We…"

"Don't speak any further, Samzel. You should get your treatment."

"Queen Aeris, it's too late for me… I am here to relay the message from the King. He said if we want Roxas back, your Holiness must be present to request discussions with him."

"That's…"

"My queen, I offer you my humblest apologies…I…shall depart," with that Samzel closed his eyes and fell on the clouds, lying there peacefully, silently, as if sleeping. However, blood kept flowing out from his injury.

"May you rest in peace, Samzel." Aeris muttered some incoherent chants and Samzel vanished from there. "Riku, you're there, aren't you?"

"Yes, Aeris." A silverhead showed up from the darkness, coming into the light. His bright silver hair shone, his wings flapped, and his arms crossed.

"No one shall know about this. Do you hear me?" Aeris said in a soft but determined voice, showing that she was serious.

"I understand. However, I'll find out who's behind all of this."

"That'd be good. Thank you, Riku."

Riku smirked and shook his head. "I'm not doing it for you, Queen."

Aeris smiled softly and she stood, approaching the silverhead. "That is acceptable. Could you help me call Kairi here? I'd like to have a word with her."

"Sure. At that, I would like Naminé to help me out."

"I grant you my permission," Aeris nodded.

--

A blonde haired girl trudged along the hallway of Celestia castle with expression of worry written all over her face. She took in a deep breath and released it, took in another deep breath and released it again, again, and again, and again. She trudged back and forth without destination. She had searched all over the castle for the whole day but still no sign of her little brother. She was frustrated. Then, when she was walking around, she bumped into a very familiar face.

"Xion!" she exclaimed, seemingly finding her answers.

"Naminé, is something the matter?" asked the black haired girl calmly with flat tones.

Naminé narrowed her eyes. "You don't happen to know where Roxas is, right?"

Xion took a step back, looking at the blonde. "No. Isn't he always in his room?" she asked calmly.

"He's not there. I've been searching everywhere for him."

"Don't worry. I'm sure that he must be somewhere in town. He's not a little child anymore, Naminé. You should stop worrying about him," the black haired girl smiled, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"I hope so."

"Well then. Let's go search together, shall we?"

Naminé nodded hesitantly and Xion took the blonde's hand, leading her to the gate leading outside the castle.

--

**Long-ass end notes:** Word processor tried to change 'dusks' into 'ducks'. Wouldn't that be extremely funny if I had somehow misspelled all of the dusks into ducks? the Underworld ish full of DUCKS!!!

And personally, I hated the Kingdom Key. but it can't be helped. :D I was about to make fluffy scenes of AkuRoku in here but lookie how it turned out. :D Ahaha… Now I'm confused…who and who should belong to which side? Who should belong to the Celestial, who in the human world, who in the Underworld?...

I would have to say that English is not my first language, but that's not an excuse! ahaha. So, yeah, I admit that I do confuse words sometimes and I'm not top-notch when it comes to grammars. Still learning and I don't mind improving. That's why I take constructive criticism, don't hesitate to give me blames and tell me what's wrong. :D Also, I got a review mentioning to not make this to an emo story, it would not. This is not an emo fic.

My sincerest thanks,

terra hotaru.


	4. Pleasure of Commiting Sin

So, so, I'm excited people! XD 50 reviews! Could you believe that?! 50!!! Fiftyyyyy!!! LOL, and this is my dark side that's excited! Imagine!!! :D Anyway, Last time's smut was cut off so here I bring you! I hope you guys will like it! This is also for a celebration of 50 reviews! You guys are so nice! Thank you very much for the lovely, awesome reviews! Well, when I posted this, it buffed up to 53. XD Thank you!!! I know that I've said it will be updated on the weekend, but I decided to update early. :) I hope you guys don't mind.

**SPECIAL THANKS! **XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, Danacyrus, SkyeFlyte, HikoriPhoenix, May All Your Bacon Burn, cookies-n'-milk-yo, Sarie Bear, Jayrin Paige, ilovegaara66, sad kuroneko, khrocks94, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, Lady Shadow Angel. Thank you very much for the lovely reviews! It's those reviews that brought me to write out this chapter! :D

**Disclaimer: **Just for fun. If I own Kingdom Hearts, the plot will go exactly like this fic. Good thing I don't own it eh? Kids will be scarred for life.

**WARNING! **Very heavy sexual implications here…scratch that. It's Lemon.** Full lemon**. Stay away if you don't want to be scarred. The Lemon will be a little bit down there in the chapter. ENJOY!

**Edit: **Thanks to **Gamet Kauum Gekxoum **for pointing out the mistakes.

**Chapter 4**

**Pleasure of Committing Sin**

Footsteps could be heard trudging along the hallway with walls of mirrors. It was the hallways of mirrors. Axel was taking the other way around to his room to avoid the creatures that lurked in the Underworld. He was sure that they would begin to ask questions as soon as they saw him carrying the blond. The mirrored path was a path that little-to-no beings knew about. Thus, it was safe. The mirrors on the side of the walls reflected the two figures.

The King was carrying a very weak blond towards his room, still wondering about the Keyblade. After a thousand years, he didn't expect to see the dreaded weapon that had started everything. It was a simple sin and mistakes that led to all of this.

Axel's eyes were never removed from the blond's figure. He kept eyeing the pale face and found some similarities with someone he knew from a long time ago. He narrowed his eyes and halted his brain from thinking. Then he stepped forward again and soon, he arrived in his room, kicking the door open and throwing the unconscious blond on the bed.

--

After attending to his business and observing if there was anything wrong with the 'stream of life', Axel went to his throne to hold a meeting on appointing missions. Axel walked in, seeing the throne room had already been filled—packed full of demon minions. Lilims seemed to be flying around on the ceiling and a group consisted of four was giggling as Axel sat down. Axel watched with emotionless face and clicked his fingers, burning four Lilims down. The orange, mixed with red colored flames burst and flickered beautifully, enveloping the Lilims, burning them into black nameless things. Not enough torture, Axel clapped his hand, summoning fires with the shape of sword, surrounding all four of the Lilims, and with just a nod of head, the fire sword went in full speed, stabbing and slicing the Lilims without mercy. Shrieks and screams echoed throughout the room. Crimson mucky liquid spluttered to the tiled floor making splotchy sound. The beings that were gathered there merely watched, not even surprised and they went back to their chattering.

The King sat there, not amused, not happy, not feeling anything in particular. One of the Lilims, whom Axel knew was the leader of the Lilims, was floating right in front of him near the corner of the room. She wore seductive garments that were offering no help in covering any of her important body parts. Their eyes met and the woman with blonde hair that stuck out like cockroach antenna, smirked happily. She blew a soft kiss and winked at the King. The King merely stared, showing no interest at all. The woman giggled and chuckled, having expected the exact reaction from the King.

"Report," Axel's voice echoed throughout the throne room and the chattering demons, werewolves, ogres—all beings big and small—were immediately silenced.

"The Celestia shows no suspicious behavior, My Lord," said one of the Phantoms. Phantoms were famous for their ability to sneak through anybody easily. Thus, they were always assigned to become spies. "We will continue to keep a watch out."

"Very good," Axel nodded, his emerald eyes giving a firm glare at every one of his lowly servants, indicating that he was the one with power.

"The souls are flowing normally in the 'stream of life'. There is no hindrance," said the leader of the Grim Reaper, Marluxia, holding his pink mixed with green colored scythe. His long pink hair swayed as he stepped forward and bowed to the King.

Axel merely gave a firm nod, indicating that he was pleased with the report. Marluxia stood up and returned to where he was standing. The rest of the meeting continued on. There was nothing crucial that gained Axel's attention. Even though his servants didn't present him with reports, he already knew what was going on. He kept an eye out of every single one of his servants and killed anyone who was behaving suspiciously. He wouldn't care if he had killed the innocents. If they acted suspicious, then they shall be burnt to crisp.

Axel spent his days sitting on his throne and watched, observing carefully and he would intervene in things if he saw fit. Otherwise, he would let his servant do all the biddings.

--

After the boring meeting took place and after appointing the Underlings missions for the time, every being that was gathered there went out of the throne room one by one. The throne room was soon empty…except for the two beings that were still there. One was the demonic King who sat on his throne and two, the head of the Lilim who had an intent smile plastered on her face.

Making certain that nobody was there but the both of them, the Lilim flew down and she went flying around Axel. Axel didn't even flinch. "Hey, there, My King," she chuckled happily.

"Larxene, you'd better discipline your kinds," Axel said with his flat tone.

"Oh, them?" she smirked. "I have to thank you for roasting them. They've been causing trouble and in fact, I was about to kill them but you did it before me."

"What do you want?" Axel asked dully, not intent on having a conversation with the seductive Lilim.

"Aww, my dear Axel. Must you be so cruel?" Larxene flew around and cupped the redhead's cheek with her hand. "You wouldn't burn me, right?" she laughed. "I'm of use to you."

Axel remained silent.

"I heard, you know. I heard about the rumors. You're hiding something, aren't you, my dear King?" Larxene smirked again, now flying to the back of Axel with her small black wings. "In your room," she purred near the King's ear.

The King didn't show any reactions. He sat there as if he was all alone—as if Larxene wasn't even present.

"I heard that no one came out alive once they went inside your room, King. What's up with Roxas? He's such a cute little boy, isn't he? I'm sure he could stand long even against Lilims. He stood up to your roughness in bed all night, didn't he? I have to applaud him for that," Larxene clapped her hands happily, still flying around playfully. "But… he's not really _submissive_, is he?" she grinned deviously, whispering in the King's ear.

"What are you suggesting?" Axel smirked, seemingly showing a little interest.

"Oh, King. You must still remember that _little patch _that I gave you a few years ago. Sure, you didn't need that because everyone in the realm of the Underworld is crazy over you. Don't you think now is the right time—to _test_ it out?" she smiled, "to see just how strong it can be?"

Axel smirked and he stood up. "I shall see to that."

"Don't you want cute little Roxas to be _submissive?_" she tried again.

"I'm fine with him behaving as he is."

"Aww, my King. I know what you're thinking. I know you too well, Axel. I'll do all the dirty work for you," Larxene giggled. "I'll be sure to have a watch out for the result. Provide me with some hot entertainment, King. Have a steamy sex!" she laughed and flew away.

--

In Axel's room, Roxas seemed to be fast asleep, not even flinching or moving at the noise that Larxene made. Larxene knew exactly where the King had put the _thing_ that she gave him, she had been watching the King. She took it from the hidden area in the wall and watched the patch for a second. Then, she stood on the ground, walking to the edge of the crimson covered bed with her slim, bare legs, sitting down. Roxas didn't show any sign of waking up anytime soon. Larxene stared at the pale face in front of her with a sadistic smirk. She was highly interested to know what the powder that was hidden inside the patch would do to the blond, to a Celestian. Finally, she opened the patch slowly and she parted the blond lips. She poured the powder carefully into the blond's mouth. _'It will take affect soon. You will entertain the King, little Roxas.'_

To add a little more entertainment, Larxene walked to the corner of the room and lit an odorless, colorless, lightless candle. Pleased, she went out of the room.

_--_

Roxas gasped as he was jolted out from his slumber—none too pleasantly. He felt his body was slammed to something… really hard and cold. He was standing upright but he could slowly feel that his feet were lifted up from the ground. His eyes that were shut tight at first opened slowly. He felt very weak and he didn't even have the energy to move a single limb. His breath hitched in his throat and he swallowed harshly. In front of him, as he had expected, was red. That red belonged to no other than the King himself. The beast in front of him was holding him tight, pinning him to the wall with his hands placed at the bottom of Roxas' butt, as if holding up a baby.

Axel knew that Larxene had done something, seeing a piece of paper lying on his bed when he went into the room. The powder was gone and it was indefinitely working its way inside the blond's mind right now.

Roxas squinted and grunted—that was all the blond could do. He shifted and unconsciously, he wrapped his legs around the King's waist to prevent himself from falling down. He moaned, feeling very dizzy. Something very strange was happening to him. Why was he feeling hot all over his body? Why was he feeling very much aroused? Why? Why did he feel so excited when he really had no energy to even move?...being pinned to the wall by such a hot redhead—by the burning fire of hell itself. That was a wish comes true for every beings in the Underworld. He could feel the temperature in the room heat up as he stared into the emerald eyes in front of him.

Axel smirked, obviously liking the blond's reaction. His hand moved, holding the blond up with only one of his hands easily. Roxas was far too light for him. He was like an angel with wings that could float on his own, making him weigh nothing. The blond's face was flushed, red as it could be—as red as the crimson of the King's hair. It was as if all blood was pooling up in his face and he breathed slowly, moaning, panting—even when Axel had done nothing to him.

Axel loved the sounds of the moans and the pants the blond in front of him was emitting. He had never thought that he would enjoy something like that coming from a Celestian, not to mention fucking a Celestian senseless and a Keyblader nonetheless. It was going to be interesting and he had a certain Lilim leader to thank. Larxene had done a pleasant job. However, knowing Axel, he would never thank anybody. Axel was also well aware of the candle in his room but he didn't bother to take it out.

"It's hot…" Roxas gasped and moaned, pulling down the zipper of his jacket painfully slow. Axel watched with much amusement. His emerald eyes were devouring the blond. It was clouded with lust and excitement and so was the half lidded cerulean of Roxas'. The steam could almost be seen enveloping the room, the temperature was rising immensely.

"Ngh…" Roxas moaned again, softly. He raked his hair with his hand. His face was glistened by sheen of sweat. He licked his dry lips, closing his eyes and he took off his denim jacket, dropping it down unceremoniously on the floor.

Axel was aroused immensely, seeing the blond he was pinning stripping in front of him. He pinned the blond tighter on the wall so that Roxas did not slip down. Roxas' legs were circled around the redhead's waist tightly, clinging on for dear life. Axel could feel Roxas' excitement poking him in the stomach and he smirked, laughing sadistically.

Roxas huffed when Axel moved his hands and grabbed his length. It was only Roxas' pants that were blocking their bare skin from touching, from making contact. The blond screamed and whimpered, experiencing mixed feelings of pain and pleasure coursing throughout his body. Axel's grab was not gentle at all; it was hard and rough, but Roxas could feel excitement taking over his body, his brain, and his mind.

Roxas swallowed again. A part of his brain was asking him what he was doing, a part of him was enjoying the whole thing, a part of him was cursing him for behaving like that, a part of him wanted to continue, a part of him wanted to…what was happening to him?! It was as if someone had overtaken his body and he was unable to do anything about it. Perhaps, there was also a part of him that refused to _want_ to do something about it. This was bringing him immense pleasure that he had never had before in his lifetime in Celestia. In Celestia, he never even been aroused before—he had never cared about that sin—since everyone was very much equal and he didn't get attracted to anybody. Now…now…just what was happening to him? He shouldn't be aroused merely of the presence of the King. He loathed the man.

The lithe body was no longer his. It was not under his control. It was not his…that was not him! How could he jump from being unable to move a single limb to stripping himself and became nothing but a mess of pants and moans that only further work in arousing the redhead?

"It's really hot…" Roxas moaned again and he meant it. He felt like his whole body was burning. The temperature kept rising in his body that he felt that he was engulfed in burning fire. Was the redhead summoning the fire and burning him? Was that what was happening? If that was so, then his eyes must be fooling him because what he was seeing then was the image of the redhead's face getting closer and closer to him, bending down a little and tilted to the side.

Roxas' breath hitched when he felt Axel's fangs touched his neck and began to bite down harshly as if determined to rip his meat out. He could feel his blood being drained out and he could feel the icky red liquid dripping down his neck and the redhead licked it clean, not even letting a single drop of blood went to waste. He rolled his tongue around the wound, pressing and licking to draw more blood. Roxas breathed in and out, hurriedly, hastily, enjoying the pain and the pleasure. He felt really good yet really sick and disgusted at the same time. The King kept nibbling and biting on the blond's neck, creating hickeys all over—telling the world that the Celestia blond was his.

Roxas whimpered in disappointment when the redhead withdrew. Axel licked his lips slowly and Roxas watched the action from behind his half lidded eyes. He whined seductively, feeling very much aroused and wishing that the redhead would put that tongue into good use like last time. ...what was happening to him?

Axel smirked, knowing full well what was going on. He enjoyed the pleasure of watching the blond's reaction and listening to the blond's elicits of sexy moans and pants. For a time, Axel was actually determined that he was not going to rush through things. He was going to enjoy every last bit of that night slowly—painfully slow. He was bored of fucking anybody again and again without feeling anything. This time, it might actually change.

Roxas went to tug his own shirt and drag it over his head. He shook his head so that his hair goes back to place. Again, he threw off his piece of attire on the crimson floor. Axel narrowed his eyes into slits with a sadistic smirk on his face. Once again, he grabbed Roxas' length, stroking and playing. Roxas arched into the touch, wanting more attention and he could feel white liquid seeping out from the tip of his member, wetting his pants. When he was sure that Axel would give him more attention, the redhead withdrew yet again. Roxas groaned at the lost of contact. "More…" he moaned, almost pleading.

"It's amusing to see you like this, kid," Axel spoke in his deep low voice, scoffing.

"Axel…more…your hand…please," Roxas pleaded with his shaky voice.

Axel laughed and he put the blond down. Roxas landed on the cold floor on his butt. He groaned unhappily at the pain—apparently the pain from his lower back was still there, even though it has ceased a little and didn't hurt as much as it used to. "What are you doing?" Roxas asked, but not moving.

"I want to see you handle it alone," Axel smirked.

The words that Axel said rang through the blond's head. It was as if his head was a hollow shell—nothing inside—empty and the words kept ringing, but it didn't hurt, it just kept amplifying until Roxas finally moved. As if hypnotized, he obeyed and did as what Axel said. Impatiently, he tugged at the zipper of his own pants and pulled it open; he slid it down his slender legs and kicked it off. He wore no boxers as he found none in the room earlier. He was left with a little bit of sanity in his mind. He felt hesitant at first when his hand reached out and he finally reached it…his own throbbing length that was screaming for attention. He touched it and he moaned—then, he wrapped his hand around it and began pumping himself to completion.

Axel sat on the bed, watching with much amusement. It was an entertainment for him and he knew that he would require attention soon the more he observed the blond kept pumping and moaning in pleasure. It was such a beautiful sight to see. The blond's face was flushed and his delicate body was covered in a nice thin glimmering sheen of sweat.

"Ahhh…" the blond cried and white liquid burst out, covering his hand. He sat there, his back against the wall, slumped and exhausted. He slowly retracted his hand, giving it a little lick, curious of what it tasted like. Axel was unable to hold it anymore. He stood up and grabbed the blond's waist. He licked off the cum that was dripping from the blond's hand.

"I hope you're not tired. You still have me to entertain," Axel hissed.

Roxas giggled, his cerulean eyes were reduced to dark blue of lust behind his eye lids. "I'm not," he chuckled and licked his lips. He had no idea where he had gotten the energy from but he jumped and hooked his legs around the King's waist. He leaned up front and licked Axel's face.

Axel was getting impatient and he slammed his lips onto the blond's lips, taking the blond in a hard, rough kiss. Roxas laughed into the kiss and he parted his lips, receiving Axel's tongue eagerly, playfully. The wet sounds, moans, and pants echoed through the silent room. It was foggy…Roxas knew that his mind was filled with fog that clouded him from everything—clouding him from his actions, from his judgment… he would receive his punishment, he knew. He wanted to stop all that was happening but no matter how much he commanded his body to do so, it did not cooperate. It was such a pleasure…of committing sin…it's no wonder that people were committing sin again and again even when they knew it was wrong. It was _wrong…_

Both males stumbled on the bed with Roxas on top of the King. The King didn't seem to mind being topped. Roxas crawled on all fours to Axel and sat himself comfortably on the redhead's stomach. He straddled and shifted—their lips never parted even for one second. Their hands were working at the same time. Axel's hands were caressing and feeling every inch of the delicate body in front of him. Roxas' hands were carelessly and hastily stripping the King off of the clothes that was blocking his way from the skin. A shuffle and the King's black hooded cloak was thrown on the floor, followed by his shirt, and pants and the last piece of attire, lying silently on the tiled floor.

Roxas parted from Axel's lips and leaned down, placing his face in the redhead's neck. He kissed the man's cheek, jaw, down and down, kissing and nibbling on the redhead's neck. He bit down and the King grunted. No one had done such things to him before and he wondered why he didn't mind being topped. Usually when anyone tried to top him, he would burn that person to ashes. However, it felt very different with the blond.

Roxas licked the blood that was drawn out and proceed down to the man's chest, nibbling and leaving feathery kisses here and there. His tongue darted out and played with one of the nipples that he found. He didn't even know which—the things he saw with his cerulean eyes kept getting vague and blurry. He didn't even remember his name…what was his name?

"Roxas," the King grunted.

_Oh yeah, Roxas…that's my name…_

Roxas paused suddenly but then he continued. He kept going down and down until he reached the redhead's throbbing length. Nervously, timidly, without hesitance, he took it in. He played around a bit, making circles around the tip, drawing out moans and pants of pleasure from the King. Roxas had never heard of those noises before but somehow he wanted more—he wanted to elicit more of those noises from Axel's throat. It was so exciting.

When Roxas felt that the King was about to release, he stopped, pulling up, licking his lips that were stained with pre-cum. He giggled when he heard the King's grunt and he sat, straddling Axel's hips, rubbing their lengths together.

"I love you, My King," Roxas moaned as he sat up, holding himself with his knees. His mind couldn't even register what he had said. It was all a blur.

Axel smirked. The drug worked perfectly and he was eager to know how the blond would react when the effect of the drug had taken off. He wondered if the blond would remember at all. However, currently, he didn't even care. He had never felt such pleasure in an intercourse before and he wouldn't mind doing it over and over again.

Roxas paused slightly; his body was shaking. The temperature in his body was battling with the coldness of the wind that suddenly blew and assaulted him. He didn't care. He took in a deep breath and released it. He looked into the emerald eyes that were clouded with lust in front of him and he smiled.

Roxas smiled.

With a last draw of deep breath, Roxas finally took Axel in him. Axel's length penetrated into him. Roxas gasped and Axel moaned, they grunted together. There was a short pause. Roxas kept drawing in short and hasty breath and so was Axel. The blond finally moved and he could feel the pain and pleasure—again, coursing into him, attacking his stomach, attacking his mind.

Roxas bucked up and down, up and down, up and down, in a rhythm. The King's hand was put into use as he wrapped it around the blond's length, pumping together with the rhythm. Roxas was doing all the work. He was a mess. He was a real mess. He kept going up and down, each time, he could feel Axel's length hitting his prostate and he cried in ecstasy—enjoying every single minute, every single second of their intercourse.

Axel wasn't at all patient; soon, he grabbed the blond by the waist and switched their positions easily. The redhead dug his nails into the wrist and sucked the blood into his mouth. "I want… to be top," Roxas giggled, moaning.

Axel smirked, ignoring the blond. He began slamming in and out of the blond beneath him in an increased pace, while at the same time pumping the blond into completion. The friction that was created felt amazing to the both of them. Roxas was so tight and Axel enjoyed it very much. Roxas sneaked his hands behind Axel, his nails digging in the King's skin, leaving behind marks of claws, drawing out delicate blood. Axel grunted, seemingly satisfied.

Screams, gasps, moans of ecstasy could be heard and they were too clouded to know and care which of them elicit the noises. Both knew that they were on their edge. Roxas came first, spurting out into the redhead's hand. "Axel!" Roxas screamed.

"Roxas…" The King grunted and gave a couple of final hard thrusts into the blond and soon came inside the blond. They paused, stopping completely. Roxas was drained. Axel seemed to be energetic, still up for a second round or maybe a third. However, he decided otherwise and he pulled out of the blond. He laid beside the blond then.

Roxas leaned into the warmth beside him, resting his palm on the King's sweaty chest. He breathed in and out and a while after, his breath was finally leveled. "That was…amazing," Roxas said dreamily, his eyes lidded—ready to fall asleep.

"It is," the redhead smirked.

Axel kissed the blond's forehead. The blond soon went into his slumber, sleeping peacefully, and breathing evenly in the King's embrace. It was the sleeping form of an Angel. Axel mindlessly wondered how the Celestians would react knowing that one of their kinds had intercourse with him—it was not like it hadn't happened before, but it shall be interesting to see. The King went to sleep after safely securing the blond and him in the comforter. He looked at the blond one last time before slowly closing his eyes.

Larxene smirked and giggled silently, observing the two males, naked in the room. She had fun watching and she was amazed that the drug had worked so well. She had never thought that it would even bloom a kind of romance in Roxas seeing that the blond actually said '_I love you_' to the King. Everyone knew that the Celestians were the only beings in the world that were able to control and keep their lust within themselves—heck, the Celestians had never shown lust before. She hated those pathetic beings—acting high and mighty as if they were very divine. To watch one of their kinds committing sin was highly amusing. "Who's _divine_ now, God?" she laughed sadistically.

The drug was the hard work of her and Vexen. She collected human's lust for sex and gave it to Vexen who did some research and managed to squish out the powder. The drug had worked so well that Larxene couldn't help but felt amazed. It was only a matter of time before Larxene went to Vexen and told him to reproduce the powder. The King would be impressed and it would come in handy when dealing with the Celestians. She was more than excited that she was successful in impressing the King and she knew that Vexen would be glad too.

And the candle, the candle… she smiled. The candle played its part really nicely. The King was obviously enjoying it. She flew around the room and blew out the candle, taking it with her.

The leader of the Lilims giggled excitedly and flew away into the laboratory deep down the Underworld.

--

Hokay now.. This is the longest chapter I've ever written in months and this is really the first time I'm going all out on this kind of writing...well, you know... the coughcough... I'm really nervous about this. I know I'm very excited at first but the more I write, the more I get nervous, and the less confident I have. Ho man, I really wrote this out? I don't know how you guys will take this… but I sure hope you enjoyed it, even though it might suck. I've been working on this, correcting and trying to make it look good. But yeah, I'm sorry if there are still mistakes. As always, it would be awesome if you tell me what you think!!!

On my last note, I don't think the next chapter's going to be updated anytime soon. :D I'll try to work on it though. Now, I'm going off to die for a bit…

Have a GREAT thanksgiving,

-terra hotaru. :)


	5. The Unpleasant

**Thanks! **XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, AbsoluteAkuRoku, cookies-n'-milk-yo, Danacyrus, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, Lindsey, Sami-Band, Jayrin Paige, May All Your Bacon Burn, animeobsession, SkyeFlyte, Rikku2233, Lady Shadow Angel, sad kuroneko, IlOvEgAaRa666.

**Chapter 5**

**The Unpleasant**

Waking up in the morning had become a usual routine for everyone, even for Roxas. However, it was not at all common for the Celestian blond to wake up with pain all over his body. He had woken up several days before with the same pain, but how could he still feel the same pain now? It seemed that the pain and the sore had gradually increased to a rate that it was unbearable even for a Celestian to hold. His eyes were blurry and he felt like he couldn't see anything clearly, everything seemed so vague and foggy. His brain felt dead and his limbs felt like a piece of meat without support.

He felt warmth beside him, resting and breathing evenly, _alive_. It was such a nice comfort that the blond couldn't help but lean into the warmth, resting his hand, _somewhere_. Somewhere…where he could feel the beating of _something_…something very much alive—a heart. The beats were comforting, as if encouraging Roxas to go back to his slumber, feeling safe just by _being_ there, just by lying there. He had no mission. Did he have something that he had to do? Did he have something to do? What was his purpose? He felt very fulfilled…he felt pleasure and nice little tingling emotions down in his heart, down in his stomach.

He then realized that he was naked—he was bare, snuggling under the warmth of the crimson comforter. _Strange…_ He should be panicked, shouldn't he? He should jump up from where he was, finding out what happened and instantly stood on his defense. He was not doing any of that. He stayed there, breathing out and in endlessly, calmly, closing his cerulean eyes, opening, closing, and opening again. His beautiful ocean eyes were fluttering but would not seem to open fully. They were tempted to go back to sleep. They were tired of seeing. All they wanted was rest.

This was the first time that Roxas finally decided to give in. He didn't want to quarrel with his body anymore. He would cooperate. If it needed sleep, then he would give his body some rest. It was not so bad…it was not bad at all being there, safe and secure, without a single care to the world. Underworld, Middle World, and Upper World….what was all that? Did that even suppose to mean something? His brain would not provide him with answers.

The King blinked. He knew that the blond was awake for a while but he didn't move a single inch.

--

It was bright. The sun shone his pale face and silver hair—making his hair seemed almost white. His silver hair was long, down to his shoulder but it fit his face perfectly. His green eyes were shining as it looked to the vast blue of the sky, the blue that reminded him of so many things—the things that he had lost, the one that he had longed for so long. He released a sigh and leaned his back against the wall, his arms crossed to his chest, his pale green orbs glued to the cloudy white ground. It was as if he saw something there and he smiled, but there was nothing.

Kairi had been summoned and he had no doubt that the red haired angel was conversing with the Queen. Riku had a feeling that something wrong was happening in Celestia. The Queen was growing weak. Of all the angels, the fairies, the archangel, and of all the beings in Celestia, he was the only one that knew about the Queen's illness. He didn't like Celestia, not at all. He had his reasons for being there and that was a strong enough reason to keep him in Celestia forever…at least he thought so.

He looked to the side. From afar, he saw an angel flew, approaching him. He couldn't figure out who it was, but as the figure got closer, he saw a tinge of blonde, and he was sure that it was Naminé. "Hey, Riku," the blonde angel landed gorgeously in front of the silver head.

"Naminé," Riku greeted, not showing any particular expression at all.

"Do you need me for something?" Naminé asked out of curiosity, a smile plastered to her pale face.

"…" Riku remained silent, not quite sure if he could trust the blonde in front of him enough—not quite sure if there was even anyone in the world that he could trust.

"Why are you quiet?" Naminé seemed to be in a hurry, but she was hesitant in directly leaving since she knew that Riku was in a higher rank than her. "Look, Riku. I don't know if you know or not, but Roxas is missing. I'm searching for him in Celestia with Xion. If you don't have anything to say, I…"

"Xion?" Riku interrupted, seemingly interested. He lifted his face, revealing his brilliant green orbs that were hidden beneath his long hair.

"Yes, Xion," Naminé rolled her eyes.

Riku nodded slightly and eyed the blue eyes of the blonde angel's. "How do you know that Roxas is missing?"

Naminé almost growled. She was growing impatient. Her dear brother was missing and she wanted to go look for him, but here she was, confronted by the most annoying angel in all of Celestia. She had lived for long in Celestia, but even she had no clue as where Riku sprang up. Riku was suddenly there in Celestia, known as one of the higher ups angels. Everyone respected him and she supposed that she should do the same in order to avoid conflict—or rather, to avoid being summoned by God. It was frustrating.

Riku didn't say anything; he merely stood there, waiting for Naminé to give him an answer to the question he asked. Naminé finally released a small sigh and forced a smile to her face to show her respect. "Roxas is my younger brother. He hasn't been home for almost five days now."

"Merely five days…" Riku commented. "You can't say that he's missing based on that," he countered.

Naminé was angered. "I _know_ Roxas! He will always inform me if he's not going to be back on time. He _always_ informs me of _everything_! He wouldn't just go missing! In addition, five days in Celestia equals a month in the human world!"

Riku scoffed. "I don't need to be informed of that," he commented intelligently. "Does Xion know where he is?"

"We are _searching_," she nearly hissed, but she bit her tongue in order to keep her respect.

"Very well. Inform me if there is anything that's worth knowing."

Naminé glared. With a last pout, she spread her wings and flew away immediately from Riku. The silver head watched. Soon, he also flew away.

--

Roxas couldn't stand up for the entire day no matter how hard he tried. His legs were shaky, causing him to fall limp on the ground whenever he tried to steady himself. He gripped tightly on the bed cover, trying to make as little noise as possible. He didn't have a slight clue as to how he had gotten himself in that condition. He woke up and he found himself snuggling into the warmth of the King. He cringed and he twitched, hating himself more and more. His brain was clouded and it required much effort for him to even see his surroundings clearly.

Luckily, his clothes were nearby. He reached out, ignoring the pain and quickly wore the clothes that he remembered wearing previously before he woken up in that state. He jumped out of the bed, looking around. It was vague—as if the whole room was filled with fogs. He bit his lower lip, seemingly thinking but later found out that he couldn't think of anything clearly.

"Morning," said a deep dark voice.

Roxas narrowed his eyes and he managed to catch a glimpse of red blur in front of him, sitting up on the bed, covered by the crimson, stained blanket.

"Are you up for another round?" Axel smirked, seemingly in a very good mood.

"Another what?!" Roxas almost shouted. However, his throat closed together and he coughed, finding that his voice was hoarse. What had he done? It was as if he had been screaming non-stop all night that resulted in his hoarse voice.

Axel laughed, showing his sharp fangs. He tilted his head to the side. "Who do you think created this mark?" He pointed to the red hickeys on his neck.

"What?" Roxas shook his head.

"You should look all over you."

Roxas glared and narrowed his eyes and he turned, facing his back against the King and took up his shirt, staring at his body. He found hickey everywhere. "You…!"

Before anything could happen between the King and the Celestian angel, a knock interrupted them. "My King," said a deep voice from outside.

"An angel with red hair is captured stepping close to the Castle. She is within the lower level prison. Should we execute her? There's no doubt that she's a spy sent from Celestia."

"Who else is with her?" Axel asked calmly, standing up, taking his clothes that were on the floor and wearing them.

"She is alone, Your Highness."

"Alone?" Axel asked. He was almost finished with wearing his outfit. When he was done wearing his black leather jacket, he covered his head with its hoodie and his red hair disappeared, swallowed by the jacket's hood.

"Kairi?" Roxas mumbled, snapped out of his drowsiness. "Kairi is here?"

"Who is Kairi?" Axel asked with his emotionless tone. When Roxas remained silent, Axel turned to talk to the demon outside his room again. "Did she say anything?"

"She requested a meeting, saying that she's sent by the Queen of Celestia and that she's carrying a letter."

Axel was thinking as he trudged across the room, not giving any answer.

"My King, should we execute her?" the voice from outside the door asked again.

"Don't!" Roxas almost shouted. "Kairi has nothing to do with this."

Axel stood there, not saying anything, not even turning to look at the Celestian blond. "I shall go meet her. You are dismissed," the King stated calmly.

"Yes, My King. I shall arrange guards to stand by at the prison," said the demon who was worried about the King's safety. The beings of the Underworld knew that Celestians were good schemers. The beings of the Underworld might have brawls and slight brain, but when it came to the Celestians, their brain almost always won. However, they were not as alerted they used to be with the Celestians. There was a reason to that.

"Alright," Axel nodded.

When the red haired beast was about to walk away, Roxas quickly ran to him, and reached out, tugging the King's black cloak. "Let me go with you!" he demanded with a firm tone and glare.

"Why should I?" Axel said coldly.

"I want to meet Kairi."

"And let you escape with her?"

Roxas was hesitant for a while. "I won't escape as long as you promise you wouldn't hurt her," he offered.

"Why would I care even if you escape?"

"Because I'm a useful hostage to you. Don't hurt anymore Celestians!" Roxas almost shouted, but he didn't plead.

Axel scoffed. "Very well. I shall take you as my slave and you shall do as I say."

"What?" Roxas frowned, releasing his grip from the redhead's cloak.

"If you disobey, I will kill this…Kairi and also your brethren."

Roxas took a step back but alas, he nodded firmly. "That will be fine. I shall be your slave if you keep your words."

Axel nodded and went off, followed by the blond to the lower level prison. Roxas wouldn't give in so easily. He would flow together with the events that were unfolding right in front of him, but he wouldn't lose his sight of what was right and wrong. It might be unpleasant, but he would endure it.

--

Lindsey: Thank you very much for the compliments! But I sure still have a lot to improve and first things first, I have to control my blazing emotions. :D Aww, I'm sure that you can write even better than me. :D Thank you. I'll write more. :D since writing is my life and soul, as crappy as that sounds.. Oh, the candle. Let's think up a plot for that, shall we? ;D XD Thank you! I hope I can keep entertaining you and I hope to hear from you again!

Rikku2233: Hon, no need to say sorry, m'kay? It's totally cool with me. :D and I can understand you being busy and all. :D It is THAT busy time after all. :D hehe. I'm glad you enjoyed this, love. XD Thank you very much!!! I hope everything goes well for you! And of course, I would love to hear from you. XD

--

Slightly short, but it's still a week update. I'm sick, have a fever and my throat is freaking sore… D: But I'm writing anyway… I'm sorry if this chapter is not so exciting. By the way, cookies-n'-milk-yo (thank you, Jean!) is writing me a gift fic. It's a good AkuRoku fic. The link's in my profile and the title is "Disconsolate Majority" :D Go read!

My sincerest thanks,

terra hotaru.


	6. Running Towards Freedom

I've come up with an update again, people. XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I should say that I would like to thank **IlOvEgAaRa666** and **AkuRokuTurkTrainee** for helping with this!!! XD Thank you!!!

**Thanks! **Jayrin Paige, Rin-chan101093, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, slightlee-.-sarkastik, StarstruckWinter, Rikku2233, SkyeFlyte, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, AbsoluteAkuRoku, May All Your Bacon Burn, TheSilverFoxofFury, IlOvEgAaRa666, Lady Shadow Angel, cookies-n'-milk-yo. I can't thank you enough for the lovely reviews!! Thanks! They are what kept me going. :3

**A/N: **You guys seemed to be quite excited about the whole slave thing. :D I don't know what to do with that. XD I hope you like this chapter anyway. XD Ooo, and Kairi. XD Yeah, well, ENJOY!! XD

**Chapter 6**

**Running Towards Freedom**

_The redhead angel flew away from the center of the castle, seemingly heading somewhere. Her face was slightly pale and fear was written in her face. However, it was such a small emotion that hardly anyone could notice—that and that Celestians were very good in hiding their emotions. They were diligent beings that gave perfect example to everyone—to every being in the world, whether it be the human world, Underworld, or Celestia itself. _

_Her pair of small white wings flapped silently, motionlessly, taking her floating across the blue sky that was stained by the white clouds. The sun shone into her face and she shut her eyes for a second to avoid the sunlight from blinding her eyes. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she already got a company. "Kairi," said the gentle and soft voice of a black haired girl. She was also floating in the air, her wings flapping slowly. She tilted her head and gave a small smile. _

"_Oh hi, Xion," Kairi mirrored the smile. One of her hands was clutching a small envelope. _

"_Are you going somewhere?" Xion inquired curiously. _

_Kairi was hesitant in answering. She eyed the black haired girl in front of her. "I…um…"_

"_You don't need to hide anything from me," Xion smiled. Her smile made Kairi felt uneasy. "I know where you are hiding, Kairi. God knows. Therefore, I know."_

_It was then that Kairi remembered that Xion was working for God, the highest, most respectable being in the Upper World. "God?"_

"_Yes, and he knew that you are going to meet Roxas."_

"_You mean, Roxas is in the Underworld?" Kairi frowned._

"_You shall see," Xion giggled. "I have something for you to give Roxas."_

"_What?"_

"_It's from God. You'll deliver it right?"_

'_**Kairi, there shall be many deceptions on your way to the Underworld. When you arrived there, there would also be many obstacles that would block your path. Your life itself depends on it. Will you accept the mission?' **__Kairi suddenly recollect the Queen's warning. She had already accepted the mission. She would see it through even if it meant sacrificing her life. In addition, wasn't Xion one of them? Kairi nodded hesitantly. "Yes."_

_Xion gave Kairi a small envelope. "Don't take a peek inside, okay, Kairi? This is a secret letter from God to Roxas."_

"_What does God want to do with Roxas?" Kairi frowned again, not happy with Xion's tone. She held the two envelopes firmly. First the Queen, now the God trusted her with delivery. _

"_That is none of your business. If words spread out about this, you know what will happen, Kairi," Xion smiled again. _

"_Hasn't Roxas suffered enough?"_

"_I wish you luck." Xion ignored the question and without waiting for further questions, Xion flew away._

_Kairi merely watched as the black haired girl flew away. She took in a deep breath and released it. It was heavy, but she would do it. If it meant saving someone she loved, if it means saving someone that she had longed for so long, she would do anything. She wouldn't want to stay in the Celestia under the angels, the Queen, and God's protection, not doing anything. She wanted to contribute and now was the best time for her to do so. She would do anything to accomplish her mission. Before she could continue with her journey to the Underworld, she was again confronted by an angel, a silver head angel that she was very familiar with. "Hi, Riku," She forced a smile._

"_You were talking with Xion, didn't you, Kairi?" Riku asked calmly and casually—as if there was no meaning whatsoever in his question. _

"_Yes." Kairi nodded. Her shoulder length red hair flew with the wind. _

_Riku seemed to be thinking for a mere second. "So, where are you going, Kairi?" he inquired with his casual tone._

"_I have to do some chores."_

"_Oh, shopping?"_

"_Yes," Kairi released a sigh of relieve that Riku bought her lies. _

"_That's convenient. Could I bother you with buying me a bottle of shampoo? Mine's up."_

_Kairi giggled. "Sure, Riku. Heaven's Flower, right?"_

"_Yes, you got it," Riku smiled. _

"_I'd better get going."_

"_Yes." _

_With a last smile and regard, Kairi flew away. Riku watched as the redhead angel flew away, descending and descending, disappearing into the mass of clouds. He narrowed his eyes. His silver bangs covering his natural green eyes. "Good luck, Kairi," he whispered. He seemed to be thinking for a bit then he took off, heading to the Heaven's Library where he could access every book in the world. There was something that he must find out. _

_--_

Roxas breathed in and out as he followed the redhead beast in front of him. He had a chance to escape, he could. However, the percentage of success for him to escape from there alive was almost zero percent. He was still in pain from the activity…he didn't have any single clue about. The hickeys were bothering him immensely. He could see some in Axel's neck. What was the King trying to imply? He didn't know. What activity caused him to endure such pain in the morning? He didn't remember doing anything. He knew that it was the same pain. However, he remembered what he had done last time. How come he didn't have a single memory about it now?...not that he wanted to know any of it.

The trudging footsteps of the King and the blond Celestian could be heard echoing across the hallway. There were several werewolves, phantoms, and reaper standing in the hallway, all in groups. They were chattering and boasting about each of their wonderful conquest of killing the lowly servants, the humans, or the Celestians—about how they ripped their body apart, eating the intestines, taking out their beating hearts and watching the stop pumping, digging out their eyes, drinking the blood. They seemed to be enjoying the little chattering. However, when Axel and Roxas walked passed, their attention soon shifted and the chattering and blabbering disappeared from the hallway, leaving only the sounds of footsteps.

They bowed at the presence of the King. Soon, whispering could be heard and Roxas listened clearly. _"Who is that following behind the King?"_

"_The King's pet?"_

"_Ridiculous. The King never keeps pets. All beings that got close to the King are incinerated instantly."_

"_Then, who is that kid?"_

"_The King is growing weak, letting a kid following him around like that."_

"_I don't like that kid. He doesn't seem to be from here. His scent…"_

"_You mean he's a human? The King is keeping a human?"_

"_I don't know."_

Roxas narrowed his eyes from the comments. He was sure that Axel must have heard the whispering too. He was a tool that could be of use to the King to deal with Celestia. That must be why the King kept him. He would be a burden to Celestia sooner or later. Roxas jumped when pillar of fire formed in the hallway. Shrieks and screams could be heard soon. The two werewolves who Roxas knew as the ones who were whispering to one another were soon incinerated by the fire. The furs, the skin, the meat, and the bones were burnt by the raging fire. The fire ceased a while later. Red, cooked meat could be seen splitter splattering out across the hallway. Crimson painted the auburn wall.

Roxas' cerulean eyes went wide. He held his sickness in. His stomach was churning and he wanted nothing more than to get out of there. The insides of his stomach were threatening to rush out from his mouth. When he noticed that the man in front of him was already ways ahead of him, he quickly picked up his pace and ran to the King, again following behind him.

After walking through the confusing hallways that seemed to go on endlessly, they arrived to a small dungeon. Roxas guessed that the area must be the lower ground of the Underworld. He could feel… he could feel _him_. So…she was right. _He_ was here somewhere, trapped.

The blond let out a yelp when he bumped into the King's back side. "Roxas!" shouted a voice that Roxas was familiar with.

"Kairi," Roxas couldn't find his voice. He bit his lower lips.

"What are you here for?" Axel asked with his low, dark voice.

"Are you the King? I have a letter from the Queen."

"From that worthless Queen of yours?"

"Aeris is our fairest Queen! I refuse to let you talk about her like that!" Kairi hissed, holding the prison cell, as if she could break out.

Roxas remained silent.

"Roxas, don't you have anything to say to this animal?"

Axel snorted. "Animal," he chuckled darkly. "Show me the letter, filthy Celestian."

Kairi narrowed her eyes. At last, she gave the envelope that she was holding to the King. Before the King took hold of it, the letter was burnt in Kairi's hand. Kairi jumped from the fire and stepped backwards. "I thought I have made myself clear that if Celestia wanted discussion, it would only happen if the Queen herself shows her presence here."

"You…! The Queen won't come down here for a lowly being like you."

"She kept sending Celestians, that means that she cares, isn't it? I wonder if she cared enough if one of her angels is murdered again here," Axel said darkly.

Fear was written all over Kairi's face. "What?" Roxas narrowed his eyes. "You promised that you wouldn't do anything to Kairi or the Celestians."

"Is promise supposed to be kept?" the King scoffed.

"Yes!"

Axel narrowed his emerald eyes. He looked into the Cerulean in front of him that eyed him with hatred. The redhead smirked then. "Do you see that knife over there?" he pointed to the table that was set at the corner of the prison, outside the prison cells.

Roxas nodded. "What are you…?"

"You can use that to stab her," Axel said calmly.

"What?"

"You agreed to follow my orders. I agreed to yours by saying that I wouldn't kill her."

"So, technically, the King is using you to kill the angel. The King didn't break his promise," said an unfamiliar voice. From the darkness inside the prison, a male stepped into the light. Roxas and Kairi didn't know that someone else was there. "Your Highness," the male eyed the King, bowing slightly. He was wearing black sweater and black tight pants. His lilac bangs kept half of his face hidden. "I have returned from inspecting the human world," he continued. "I come here as soon as I heard about the Celestian intruder…and it seems there's not only one, but two of them."

"They are trying to start a war," Axel stated calmly.

"We are not!" Kairi shouted.

"The Queen is in no way desired war." Roxas added but with less passion.

"Then, why are you here?" Axel asked.

"I…"

"Roxas, did someone send you here?" Kairi asked with a worried tone.

"No," Roxas answered. He took a step back…one, two, one, and two, until he reached the table where the knife was lying. He took the knife, looking confused. He concentrated and at last, as he had expected, the small knife radiated bright light. When Roxas opened his eyes, the knife had turned into a completely different weapon…

"Keyblade?" the lilac haired male spoke, surprised.

Roxas stood in his fighting stance, holding the Kingdom Key firmly.

Axel smirked. He stood, leaning his back against the wall calmly. Not even blinking at the new weapon that just formed in Roxas' hand. "You think you can get out of here with that toy?" he mocked.

Roxas hesitated. "I don't know, but I know that I will slay you," he said with determination in his voice. He rushed forward, prepared to slice the King. The King didn't even budge. He stood there serenely. Roxas was sure that he would be able to stab the King using the Keyblade—and he did. He blinked. His keyblade was inside the King's body. It was that easy? That easy to take the King down? That was all it took? He couldn't believe it.

"Roxas! Behind you!" Kairi shouted.

Before the Celestian blond could think any further, he felt his body jerked backwards and he was shoved to the wall harshly. The Keyblade fell to the stone floor, clanking and sliding away from where Roxas was. Roxas hissed. He could suddenly feel some wounds opening up in his body. However, he didn't know where. It was somewhere near his arm. He didn't know that there were wounds in his arm…and he was right, blood indeed seeped out from his right arm and the drop of blood flew down to his hand and to the floor. He bit his lower lips and he could feel both his hands were held by strong hands at his back.

His front was glued to the cold stone wall and he could feel warming form getting closer to him from behind—the very same person who was holding his hands together harshly. The man kept getting closer until Roxas could feel his breath. Axel nose was very close to his left ear, breathing evenly and slowly. Roxas' breath hitched and he could feel his throat went dry. "How?" Roxas choked out. "It was…"

"Zexion isn't called the 'Cloak Schemer' for nothing," the King informed dryly. "You're such a bad slave. You deserve _punishment_," he hissed.

"Roxas…" Kairi whimpered from behind the bar, stepping back a little out of the horror. What was the King wanted to do with the Celestian blond? Kairi narrowed her eyes, hoping beyond hope that God wouldn't let what her imaginations thought up off came true. The King wouldn't commit that horrible sin to Roxas, right?

The lilac haired male stood there, seemingly uninterested of what was going to happen. He looked to the floor and found a small piece of paper that survived Axel's flame. It was written, "God…" and the rest was burnt. He mumbled, "God," narrowing his eyes. "Axel, I'm going to do some research," Zexion said with his emotionless tone.

Axel nodded. Zexion then took off from the prison from a hidden exit that led to the laboratory. He had no interest in watching what Axel was going to do next. He would rather use his time to help the King behind the scene. Besides, he believed that the King would do what was needed to do. Kairi watched as Zexion disappeared into the darkness, couldn't figure out where he was heading. Then, her eyes were glued to the sight in front of her once more. She wanted no more than to help Roxas, but she couldn't get out from the cell.

"Get your hands off of me, you filth!" Roxas squirmed but found out that it was in vain since he was sandwiched between the King and the cold stone wall.

"Filth? It's a shame you don't remember what happened last night," the King said in a low seductive voice that caused the Celestian blond to blush a little. Roxas narrowed his eyes. Why was he blushing? He didn't do anything the night before. He knew he didn't.

Roxas let out a small moan of pleasure when Axel licked his neck. He didn't know how he could elicit such moan. Had he gotten used to committing sins that it came out naturally from his body whenever it was tempting him? He bit his lower lips _hard_ to hold himself from making such noise again. "Roxas! Get away from him!" Kairi shouted.

"Silence," Axel ordered. He threatened the redheaded angel by summoning pillars of fire to surround her. Kairi shrieked out of fear. She stood still. The temperature around her was increasing drastically and she started sweating and losing energy. She couldn't go anywhere. All she could do was stand still, being careful not to let the pillars of fire touch her.

"Let go of me!" Roxas jerked, but it was obvious that the redheaded beast behind him was much stronger than him.

Axel continued with his ministrations, licking and tasting the delicious skin of the blond. His dragged his skillful tongue up Roxas' pale cheek.

Roxas suddenly felt his wrists burn, the wrists that the King was gripping firmly with his one hand. He hissed out of the pain. He could feel his skin melting and melting and melting, blood was dripping out. He could feel the icky mucky liquid again. It hurt. His skin…it almost felt like it burnt into his bone. He breathed a small sigh of relieved when he felt that he had been released and that the pain was slowly elevating. Soon, he gasped when he was turned around. He stood face to face with the redhead in front of him. His cerulean eyes stared into the dark emerald that was staring at him—as if about to devour him whole with his stare alone.

After that, Axel grabbed the blond's hand again and pressed the smaller hands to the wall, gripping tightly above Roxas' head. Roxas squirmed. "What are you trying to do?"

"Punishment," the King answered simply, amused of seeing the blond's expression. The blond's face was painted with emotions of fear, hatred, loathe, disgust, and anger.

Roxas soon felt pain coursing through his body again. His wrists were burning again and the King's other hand was pressed to where his heart resided. He could feel his skin getting crimson red and melting. Axel's hand burnt the angel's clothes, creating a hole, then he finally touched Roxas' chest with his fiery hand.

Roxas could feel his heart stopped beating for a while. He felt dizzy and everything was starting to get blurry. Was Axel going to create a hole in his chest and take out his heart? If so, what would his heart look like? Would a Celestian die without a heart? Would he die?

Roxas screamed.

The pain was too much to hold. He tried moving his fingers. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to find a way to escape from the pain. _Any_ way… The keyblade was too far from where he was and he began to lose hope while at the same time still insistent that he couldn't die there.

Axel smirked, looking forward to what the Celestian blond would do next. He would certainly not kill him. No, he wouldn't waste his toy like that.

Kairi was still trapped in the pillars of fire, hating herself for not being able to do anything again.

"_Call out to it, Roxas. Call the Keyblade and it will come to you."_

Roxas wasn't sure if he was just hearing things. He must have been very close to his death. That must be why he was starting to hear voices. _Keyblade…_

Roxas blinked for a second when bright lights surrounded his hands. He was surprised to find out that the Keyblade disappeared from the floor—from his sight and manifested instead in his hands. He gripped the Kingdom Key firmly as if his life depended on it—and indeed. His life depended on it… Axel kept inflicting burning marks on Roxas' delicate skin, not intending to stop—not even when he realized that Roxas got the Keyblade. He held his grip on the blond's wrists firmly.

Roxas' body was giving in, but his brain screamed for him to get out of there. He bit his lower lips until they bled. The pain was weakening him. Never in his life had he known what it was like to get burnt alive, not until now. With his last bit of strength, he wrestled his wrists away from Axel's hand. He yanked and jerked. To his surprise, he succeeded. He quickly somersaulted and used the wall behind him as a ground to send him flying to the thick cell. His vision was a blur—he could hardly see anything. He hoped beyond hoped that his plan would succeed. If it was like what he was told, the Keyblade should be able to open anything—the keyblade should be able to unlock any door.

Axel smirked. He knew exactly what the blond was trying to do. He would like to see how it would go. Thus, he merely stood there, laughing darkly. It would be an entertainment for him to watch the blond struggle. Even more so that he could observe what the redheaded angel was really up to. He knew that Kairi was hiding something. She wasn't merely come to the Underworld to deliver a letter from the Queen. The _punishment_ for Roxas would have to wait and it would indefinitely be done. The blond would never be able to escape from the Underworld.

Roxas was quite confused as to why the redhead didn't do anything to stop him. He pointed the tip of the Keyblade to the keyhole of the cell. A sharp line of light radiated from the Keyblade and Roxas could hear a _click_, indicating that the cell was opened. He narrowed his eyes for a second and with a squeak, the heavy iron door that kept Kairi in was opened. Roxas stepped in.

Axel decided to put up a fight. He increased the pillars of fire in the room with a snap of his finger. The whole room was then enveloped in hot, blazing, orange fire. Roxas took a step back. "Kairi!" he shouted.

"Roxas, I'm okay! Just run and return to Celestia," Kairi shouted. Her voice seemed to be softened. She coughed.

"I'm not leaving you behind!" Roxas shouted. He looked at Axel with disgust. The redhead merely smirked, waiting to see what the blond would do next. Roxas breathed in deeply. He took a firm and determined step into the fire. He rushed inside, into where he thought Kairi would be. He could feel the temperature sheathed into his body. He could feel himself melting and he hissed. It was too much to bear. It was so hot…he couldn't stop there. He simply couldn't.

To his surprise, the fire ceased almost in the instant he thought he was going to return to God's side. He bit his lower lips. His delicate skin was all red and every last outer skin of his body was peeling off, roasted and burnt beautifully. He hissed, even making contact with the wind hurt his whole being. He knelt down, unable to balance himself. Everything was getting more and more blurry, but it was just steps away until his freedom, out of everything, out of the Underworld, out of the horrible King. Axel was not hindering him at all and he wondered why. Even though he was sure that might be stepping into a trap, he must do what he must do. He must…he didn't know what to do…go back or stay? He should get Kairi out.

"Roxas, are you okay?!" Kairi asked, worried.

"I'm okay. Let's go," Roxas said weakly in between his coughs. The keyblade disappeared from his hands. He held himself up and he breathed a sigh of relieve when he managed to balance himself. With Kairi holding his hand, they ran out of the cell, pass Axel. Roxas wanted to know why Axel wasn't stopping him. He wanted to know what trap lies ahead of him. Axel wouldn't let him go just like that. He knew. There must be something more.

They ran and ran until they were out of Axel's sight. The two angels didn't even know which the way out was. It was going to be a long run—since Roxas seemed to be unable to fly. Why?

--

Rikku 2233: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Thank you! XD I hope you're doing well with your fic. I'm really sorry that the file disappeared. Anyway, I'd be looking forward to reading it! Thank you very much! :D I hope you liked this chapter.

--

On a side note, I think this will be the last update for this month. I'm going to write out multiple fics and I'm so sick right now and finals are coming. I'm coughing like crazy everyday…even cough out blood… O.O and now I have the flu. XD ahaha. This is so not fun. XD but I'll stay happy anyway. XD I'll stay alive.

I am TERRIBLY excited!! XD –looks at the reviews number—whee! 87 babeh. XD LOL. Yesh, I hope it would reach 100 for this chapter. In my half year of writing in ffnet, I haven't reached a hundred yet. O.O I'm keeping my hopes up high, I hope I can do it. :3 Please, tell me what you think? I do hope you enjoyed this! Thank you very much!!! :3


	7. Him, My Destination, My Death

**Special Thanks: **Danacyrus, lovetheHams, Jayrin Paige, Rin-chan101093, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, May All Your Bacon Burn, IlOvEgAaRa666, ToWriteLoveOnHerArms08, sad kuroneko, cookies-n'-milk-yo, TheSilverFoxofFury, Voodoo0970, AbsoluteAkuRoku, my friend, blusky07, Icy moon86, Crashkai, mei lynn 64, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, amoreRin, -siarafaerie-101-miss, Insanecat6, xXShadowXKissedXx.

Whee!!! Thank you very much for the reviews!! Seriously! You guys can't imagine how happy I am!! 108 reviews!! Oh my.. O.O I'm shocked. This is a first time for me to achieve this! :D Thank you very much!!! I can't say thank you enough!!! And 108 is like… the stars of Destiny…-dozed off- Suikoden!! XD anyway! :D XD Enjoy!! Oh, and Merry Christmas and happy new year, everyone!! –random glomps to everyone- LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! :D and anyway, when I went back to write this after a week, it boomed to 111. :D –flies- XD seriously, I love you guys so much!

Anyway, here it is. Hope you guys enjoy! Hint, read the chapter title carefully. o.o

**Chapter 7**

**Him, My Destination, My Death.**

Footsteps were ringing through the halls. Pants could be heard ringing and echoing continuously, not about to stop. Breaths were getting heavier as seconds passed. Throats went dry. Hearts were beating rapidly in synch with every footsteps stomping down on the cinnamon floor.

Both angels were tired. They felt as if those legs didn't belong to them anymore, but they knew that in order to live, they must keep on running. Even a single misstep could easily mean their doom.

Roxas felt especially drained. He hurt all over. His burnt skin itched at every step he took and at the wind that made contact with his body. His delicious skin was blistered and he wouldn't mind if he could just take a sharp knife and cut out the epidermis of his whole body. He wanted so bad to scratch his itchy skin but he knew that it would inflict so much pain on him. Thus, he decided to grind through it. Even without him using a knife to shed off his skin, it was already peeling off by itself, leaving him with brand new pink colored dermis. It was somehow sickening yet at the same time beautiful. It was all blending together, forming unpleasant experience.

They ran through the bloody hall of crimson, having absolutely no idea where they were. It was all so vague and blurry. They couldn't even spare a single second to glance or to take in where they were. All they could do was to keep on running, run until there was no place they could go. As long as there was a path, they would keep on escaping—even though no one was chasing them. Yes, no one could be seen chasing them. What were they running from?

For a while, amidst all the frustration and fear of death, Roxas wondered. Was Axel really going to let them go _that _easily? Why was he not chasing them? It was out of hand, all of it. Axel's motives were unclear. What was the King trying to achieve? War? More killing? More slaughtering? More spilling of blood? Was that what the beast was seeking? Was Axel really such a mindless killing machine? No, the redhead was smarter than that and Roxas gave the King credit for it. It would be quite a challenge for Roxas to outsmart him.

Roxas was slowly giving up. Kairi didn't need to suffer with him. She could easily spread her wings and fly away. He couldn't fly—he simply couldn't. He had done two mistakes—to trust God and to commit an unforgivable sin. What was he doing? Running away? Where could he run off to? There was no place for shelter. There was no place that he could return to.

Finally, as they kept running, Kairi was getting ahead of the blond. She was drained beyond doubt. Never before had she ran that much before. Flying was undoubtedly more exhausting than running. However, between running and flying, using wings definitely gave them more distance away rather than using a pair of humanly legs.

Roxas' steps were becoming slower and slower. There was so much to take into consideration if he left the Underworld. Should he leave at all? He sucked in a deep and heavy breath. The decisions were in his hand. Either return and face the consequences of failing his mission or stay and complete his duty—complete his sole reason of existence. He chose the latter one. God was definitely _not_ going to let him go if he were to fail his task.

Noticing that the blond was getting slower and slower, the redheaded angel decided to take the blond angel's hand and dragged him along. To her surprise, Roxas slapped her helping hand away and came to a halt. "Go! Go without me!" the blond shouted with a firm and demanding tone, indicating that he was not hesitating in staying in the Underworld.

"Don't joke at times like this, Roxas. C'mon!" Kairi was almost pleading.

"I'm _not_ joking, Kairi!"

Before Roxas could think any further, clanks of armors and footsteps could be heard approaching. Since when? They were being chased after all? They were actually running away from something?

"They are chasing after us, Roxas! We have to go together, or we'll both die!" the redheaded angel was on the verge of crying.

"I'll…I'll hold them off, Kai! Trust me, go!!" Roxas took in a deep breath and ran off, slithering to the only thing that could be seen in the area, a stick of pure white candle, lying on the floor with pooling blood. He took it to his hand and held it firm. He concentrated and as he had expected, his right hand was wrapped in a gathering shimmer of lights and the crimson stained candle turned into the Keyblade, manifesting.

"You…even with the Keyblade, you can't handle it alone, Roxas! You can't! You're just not…" Kairi shook his head, crossing his fingers together in her chest, tears welling up in her eyes. "You're not _him_! You're not Sora! You're not!"

The footsteps were getting closer and closer and the blond was standing in front of the hallway, expecting every beings of the Underworld to gather before him. He listened in carefully, just a little more and blood would be spilled. Time was ticking by.

"Dammit, Kai! Just go!!!"

"Listen, Rox. Whatever you are told to do, don't do it! Everyone is searching for you! Namine, Riku… the queen!"

Roxas chuckled dryly. "That's not everyone. Riku would never care about me. No one would miss me. Just…go!" his voice was becoming hesitant, but it managed to stay firm.

Kairi finally narrowed her eyes. A drop of tear rolled down her cheek and fell to the floor. "You're…there's no way to change your mind, isn't it, Roxas?"

Roxas shook his head lightly, turning to face his redheaded friend. "No, I will handle it," he released the breath that he had been holding.

"Roxas…" Kairi bit the insides of her lips, trying not to make everything worst by showing how weak she was. She took in a deep breath. Hesitantly, she stepped forward and took out a small envelope that contained the letter from God to her friend. "Roxas, take this."

"What is this?" the blond asked, confused. He knew that seal. He knew that feeling…the aura that the letter emitted. Xion and God… It must be from them. New mission? Was there a change in plan? What were they going to make him do again? What again this time? He had enough!

"This is from Xion…she…she said that it's from God," the redheaded angel said shakily, handing it over to the blond.

Roxas took the envelope slowly and then, he hastily shoved it inside his pant's pocket, not even sparing the time to take a look at it. It would have to wait until later.

"Roxas…" Kairi shook his head. "Tell me, what does God and Xion wanted to do with you?"

"It's…" Roxas threw his glances away, looking everywhere but at Kairi's eyes. "It's nothing that you should care about, Kai. I am not Sora, but I can handle things on my own," he said firmly, always hating the fact that he was always compared to him. His sole existence was always about him. He was not at all needed in this world, in anywhere. All he needed was to fulfill his mission and complete the tasks that God bestow upon him in this world. There was no one that he could turn to. That was his sole purpose of existence.

"Rox…" Kairi shook her head and she stepped closer to the blond. She cupped the blond's cheek and held the blond's face close. Without waiting for Roxas' response, she quickly placed her lips on Roxas', a soft and chaste kiss of an angel, bestowing hope and wellness.

Roxas blinked. He held his breath, wanting to pull away. However, before he was about to do anything, Kairi had pulled away, panting and gasping, exhausted from a single kiss. The blond shook his head, watching as his body recovered fully from the burn. For merely seconds, all the burn marks and wounds vanished, as if he had never been hurt at all. The pain that he felt coursing all over his body lifted instantly.

"Kai, you…" Roxas blushed slightly.

"I'll be okay. Blame the chief of the medical department for this," the redheaded angel giggled weakly.

"You've learnt these stuffs?" Roxas asked, astounded. He had always failed medical lessons in Celestia. Thus, he really looked up to angels who were able to perform the curing miracle. Besides, he knew that performing that miracle took a lot of energy and willpower. He was able to do it after some painful practices and such, but he had never really performed it to people before. He would never want to, seeing that it would drain much of his power. In addition, any wounds and pain that the other people suffered transferred to the one who performed the "Angel's Kiss". So… the wounds would surface on Kairi's body any time then.

The foosteps were approaching.

"You…take care, okay?" her voice softened. "Promise to come back," she added shakily.

Roxas merely smiled, not saying or agreeing to anything. He turned a hundred and eighty degrees when he sensed the hordes of presence rushing in. "They're coming," he said in a low, dark tone. "Go!" he yelled.

"O-okay… be safe!" Kairi nodded, released her breath, praying to God that Roxas would go back to Celestia alive. She finally spread out her wings and with a last glance at the blond, she flew away, out of the window, disappearing into the scorching, burning area outside the castle. The pain came rushing in her small body soon.

"You too, Kairi. Be safe," Roxas muttered under his breath, watching as his friend flew away to freedom.

Soon, he was faced with colonies of the beings of the Underworld—grim reapers, phantoms, ghouls, skeletons, ogres, lilims, dusks, and other unnamable beings that crossed Roxas' mind—filling the long and wide hallway. Roxas shook his head. He backed away out of fear and confusion. All beings in the Underworld were gathered around just for him?

When he was backing away from the hordes of hostile enemies in front of him, he suddenly felt an even stronger and familiar presence behind him. A black portal opened up, and before the fragile angel could react, his hands were seized together. His keyblade was still in his hand. He gripped it firmly, determined to not let go as if it was his life.

His intuition was right. It _was_ someone very familiar. He was not surprised, not at all. In fact, he had expected him. As the hordes of enemies stepped forward to him, he could feel his wrist stinging. The same feeling that he had felt just minutes ago was coming back to him again. He shivered when he felt hot breath on his neck, breathing evenly which soon carried on to nibbling his ears. He bit down on his lower lips to prevent himself from eliciting a moan which would arouse the man. Taking in a deep breath, he prepared himself to the feelings of the fangs against his skin.

"Axel…" he whimpered as the fangs bit down on his much abused neck. He finally grew weak as his legs shook, releasing his Keyblade and letting out a moan without knowing it.

"Our little angel is aroused," the King said darkly, swallowing the crimson juices that he had extracted from the blond.

"I—I am not," Roxas denied pitifully.

"And they say Celestians are Saint and Holy."

"We are!" Roxas whimpered.

The hordes of enemies were strangely standing there. Their breathings could be heard filling the room. "Yet, you kissed each other despite the sins that your kin always blabbered about," the King muttered calmly, biting down harshly on the angel's shoulder.

"How… how do you know about…" the blond released a moan of frustration and pleasure.

Axel smirked, cutting off the blond's words; releasing the pair of wrists he was holding and went to lightly touch the blond's lips with his middle and index finger, staring deeply into those cerulean eyes with his emerald ones. "You've forgotten about a lot of things…" the King narrowed his eyes. "Everything's changed and you've changed the most."

"What?" Roxas shook his head, not understanding what the beast was talking about. He yelped when a strong hand suddenly sneaked to his golden locks, holding his hair in place and jerked his head backwards. A pair of soft lips pressed on his almost immediately and he held his breath in. He wanted to fight back, but at the same time, his body was rebelling on him. His body desired to be touched—to be touched again by those pair of strong and skilled hands that seemed to know every single inch of him quite well, more than he knew himself.

The blond released a soft moan into the kiss. He sighed at the pleasure and for once, he didn't care about the whole committing sin rules that the Celestians enforced from the first day he could begin to remember. Hordes of images flew inside his head—images of how his life was in Celestia. It was not important to mention at all. He couldn't give in to the pleasure…that was the only thing he knew. He had a mission and his mission was certainly not to seduce the King but to do otherwise. Hen he opened his lips, a wet muscle immediately intrude him. His breath hitched, torn…he didn't know if he should enjoy the pleasure or fight it. He didn't know…

His brain had malfunctioned. He was unable to get it to work and cooperate to form a logical reaction. Hands immediately began to roam him. Those hands slipped into the hem of his shirt, and slipped up to his back, caressing softly and then he felt the familiar burning pain, the scratching, the sharp nails going inside him and he could feel the warm liquid seeping out. After all of Kairi's effort to take away his wounds, he let the King wound him again. Hesitantly, he finally bit down on the tongue that ravaged him. It posed no use. The King didn't stop. Roxas released yet another moan as the kiss became more and more heated and he was left breathless.

With a last determination, he summoned the Keyblade to his hand and right as Axel was caught of guard, he used the razor sharp edge of the blade to stab the redhead. He gasped as Axel released him and his blade went out of the redhead's body. He didn't expect it to happen. He didn't expect the King to receive the blow just like that. Blood came seeping out from Axel's abdomen. His black hooded cloak was stained even darker by the warm liquid. The King didn't budge, merely standing there, holding the fresh wound. "I…I didn't.,." the blond backed away shakily.

"Kill me," the King said darkly.

"What?"

"Didn't you always say that you wanted to vanquish me? Do it."

"I…I…"Roxas shook his head, terrified, still backing away. He looked at the hordes of the Underworld's beings watching his every move and finally they stepped and finally rushed towards him and the King. He was caught off guard, but he quickly maintained his own emotion and formed up a strategy behind his mind. There was more than enough place for him to avoid the attacks that were about to land on him. He looked at the wounded King. The King held himself well enough even if he was wounded. The only thing that Roxas couldn't understand was…why was the underlings…assaulting the King? Weren't they supposed to stay loyal to the King?

--

The redheaded angel flew away as wounds began to appear and multiplied in her fragile body. Kairi's vision was getting blurry as the strong wind blew pass her. She was suffering in so much pain, the same pain that Roxas was suffering through the whole time she was with him. It was unbearable and she couldn't help but feel sickened at the pain in her lower back. How did Roxas received all those wounds?

Kairi kept flying until she was out of the Underworld's area. It was surprisingly quiet and unguarded. She figured that it was because all of the beings were gathered before Roxas. She wished beyond wished that Roxas would be alright. She didn't want anything to happen to him. It was only minutes apart until she would safely arrived to Celestia. She could already see the clouds. She would immediately request help from the Queen to save Roxas and get him out of the hellhole. However, before she could accomplish any of her plans, she was confronted by a flying figure. She smiled. That was a fellow Celestian. Now, help would come more quickly.

"Xion!" Kairi called out as soon as she was able to recognize the figure. "Please send help! Please tell the God…" she immediately spoke as she approached the black haired angel who flew up calmly towards her.

"Tell God?" Xion said in a dangerously low tone.

"Yes, Roxas is in danger… he's…"

"Did you successfully deliver the letter to Roxas, Kairi?" the other angel asked calmly, not a single hint of worry could be seen on her face.

"Yes, yes, I did. But, Roxas!"

"Then, that is good enough. You've accomplished your mission, angel," Xion said coldly as she drew out her sword that she brought with her all along.

Kairi's breath hitched. "What? What are you doing? You need to…"

"This is an order from God and he desired that you be silenced and eliminated," her expression grew dark, her eyes hidden from sight by her bangs that went down her face.

"What are you…?" Kairi immediately sensed danger and she flew away without anymore question. However, she was slower and she was in a lot of pain. She couldn't run away from the other angel. Xion immediately caught up to her and stabbed the redheaded angel on the stomach and drew away the blade. Kairi shrieked and Xion laughed sadistically.

--

Roxas wondered in confusion.

A number of dusks came to him, trying to pierce Roxas with their sharp, needle-like hands. Roxas successfully dodged the attack and managed to slash one of them off using his Kingdom Key. However, from behind him, an ogre approached him and held its axe up, with tremendous strength and low speed, the axe came flying down towards him. Roxas immediately slipped away to the other side before the weapon could make contact with him. He looked around, observing the situation.

Axel was summoning his fire, incinerating everything that came his way. He summoned his chakrams and wielded them, throwing them around as if it was boomerang and the weapons slashed every enemy that made contact with it. Beautiful crimson burst out as the creatures bodies were cut in half. Meats were splashing around the area and the weapons obediently went back to the King's hand. The hordes of enemies kept showing up without end, approaching them and were determined to eliminate them.

Roxas took at another deep breath as he barely dodged an attack from a reaper. He slashed his keyblade, successfully slashing a number of dusks and invisible phantoms. Shrieks could be heard as the phantoms died. Roxas came face to face with the giant ogre that separated him from the King. He held his keyblade tight, crimson as staining every last part of his body and his weapon. The smell of copper assaulted his nose once again, the very familiar smell of blood that he had grown sick of.

The ogre swung his axe around and Roxas immediately stepped away, rushing to safety as he took down a group of lilims that were trying to block him. As the ogre swung his axe, he managed to take down a huge number of its own allies—reapers, lilims, phantoms, dusks…all shattered and sliced to pieces.

The ogre swayed a bit as his attack was done and the blond took that little opportunity to run up to the ogre's giant mass as he dragged his Keyblade, slicing up a nice neat line along its side. Blood seeped out from the line that Roxas inflicted and its muscles opened up beautifully, forming what shaped like a mouth, gaping. The blond reached the top of the ogre and with full force he jumped, taking his Keyblade along and with reaction so quick, he slammed back down, slicing the ogre in half with his Kingdom Key and he landed on the floor gracefully.

The ogre opened up in half and each half plummeted down to separate sides, left to left, right to right. The insides of its body could be seen and examined if wanted to. The still beating lungs that were separated stopped in a second. Blood poured out like water, raining down in the area. Roxas was unable to see everything clearly as the icky mucky liquid of red kept raining down to his face. However, he could vaguely catch the glimpse of the King, fighting off the endless hordes of enemies. Roxas narrowed his eyes to confirm what he was seeing. Was that a phantom sneaking up behind Axel? And a reaper ready with its scythe? His breath hitched and he immediately rushed over, but he knew it was too late. How come the King was unaware of his own underlings sneaking up behind him?

Roxas could see no other choice… he wasn't quite sure what he was attempting. He pursed his lips, biting the insides of his mouth and with a last determination, he pushed the King away, receiving the blow of the scythe and the phantom's invisible weapon. He hissed of out of the pain, trying to pry off the incoming attacks with his keyblade. The King tried to help, but he was unable to reach the Celestian with the new horde of enemies coming up to him. Tons of weapons flew to the blond's fragile body and finally, Roxas didn't know anything anymore. He knew that his end was nearing. Never before had he imagined his death like that. He had never dreamed of it.

Everything was dark and he didn't even feel the pain. His head was finally separated from his body as the Reaper's scythe reaped it apart. His beautiful body dropped to the floor with a loud thud and he was stepped all over by the enemies that had turned their attentions, making their way to the King until the point that he was merely butchered to pieces of meats that he was unrecognizable.

The King narrowed his eyes out of the sight. The angel was gone? Just like that? He didn't show any trace of emotions as he beautifully continued to slash off every single one of the beings that contributed to Roxas' death.

It was as if the King was dancing in the crimson dark showers. Agony and despair painted the atmosphere and showed through the dance, mourning for an angel's death.

--

Yeah. –shot for being mean. Don't kill me… you'll know soon enough what's going to happen in the next chapter.

There's a new poll up in my profile. :D feel free to take it. I think I would come up soon with a DU poll, but can't think of any as of now. :D

In case you didn't know, I've posted a side story to DU titled Perfect Harmony. Check it out in my profile. It has connections to this fic, so I recommend reading it. I'm really sorry for the late update, but I still hope that you guys still care about this fic. :D –smile- yeah… so there. Tell me what you think? Thank you!

-hugs-

terra hotaru.


	8. Sora

I'm sorry that this is really late. So, umm… this is unbeta-ed. Sorry about that… I am so… drained today… and to **Lifes . Lover**, I hope you cheer up soon! =3

**Special Thanks: **mei lynn 64, khrocks94, sad kuroneko, blusky07, reeby10, lovetheHams, SkyeFlyte, Rin-chan101093, …, Jayrin Paige, Insanecat6, IlOvEgAaRa666, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, Yaoi. Loving .Jew, cookies-n'-milk-yo, TheSilverFoxofFury, sweetangel03, Jellybeans-steh, Rebel-Angel6, akuroku fan on fire, Nami chan XlV, Lady Shadow Angel, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, Jellybeans-steh, yaoifanandanimemanga, Twister Atma, AbsoluteAkuRoku, Mantineus. As always, can't thank you guys enough for the lovely feedbacks!!! :D and I think there are some that I haven't got to replied yet. Sorry about that… my head is spinning around badly right now. I'll get to it soon!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 8**

**Sora**

It was bright. All he could see were lights that blinded his eyes. He narrowed his eyes, trying to adjust to the lights that were assaulting him. Minutes later, his eyes finally got used to the bright scenery. He blinked a couple of times, looking around, taking everything in using his brighter than usual cerulean eyes. Everything was a mess of green, blue, and white. He felt nausea all of a sudden. As he looked around, he found out that there was nothing except for a stream of white line that flew inside the area of bright green and blue.

He raised his hands, looking at them in dismay. He was...disappearing, vanishing. Was it really happening? Wasn't it too fast for it to be happening? He was slowly fading away and soon, he found himself transparent. He was see-through. For him, it was not at all frightening. He had experienced it before. At least, he thought that he had experienced it once. It was all so vague and blurry to him. His minds were a mess, as if his brain had been scattered until the stage that it was impossible to line up the pieces together anymore. His cerulean eyes continued to look at his hands that were slowly becoming brighter and brighter until he could see the bright green area around him through his hands, ignoring his surroundings altogether.

Where was he? That question suddenly sprang to his mind. He remembered being killed, he remembered the pain, he remembered being stepped and stomped all over until it all turned black, and he remembered being enshrouded by darkness until he arrived at the peculiar area. The stream of white line reminded him of something behind his head. "Is this...the stream of life?" he inquired silently to no one in particular, looking around, seeking, hoping for someone to come up to him to give him a satisfying answer. However, no one came and he was left all alone again, like that one time...he couldn't remember when.

He drew his knees together, curling up into a small human ball. He was floating in the white stream, floating and floating, flowing together with the stream, not knowing where he would be taken, not caring, not having the desire to know. He shut his eyes, closing himself from the outside world. He was in absolute solitude. He had let his feelings took the best of him. He had shamed himself as a Celestian. He should have followed rules, he shouldn't have been dragged down into the abyss of sin again, falling and falling even deeper. Where would he go from now? Where could he go?

He fidgeted when he heard noises—noises pleading for help, screaming, shouting, shrieking, horrified, and terrified. He opened one of his eyes, peeking, observing the situation outside. Wasn't it quiet merely seconds ago? His eyes went wider the more he saw and he curled out of his ball form, straightening himself into a standing position, but there was no ground, he was floating.

There, in the stream of life, he saw spirits flying about, floating, some with their body parts separated inches away. There was no blood, only the sickening color of blue and green. There were the sounds of whipping. The spirits were being guided to the path they were already destined to. Some were to go into the deepest part of the stream, purified forever, never to see live again. Some that were considered useful would be led to take the path of reincarnation and gave them a form of which they could reincarnate into based on the good deeds they had done for the time they were blessed with lives. Some took the path of staying in the Underworld, taking the form of phantoms, becoming one of the lowly servants. Some were sent to hell, given torture and punishment for the rest of their eternal doom. Some were left wondering in the stream of life forever, without any destination, and without decisions made for them.

Roxas wondered why he wasn't guided by one of the soul guider. He was left alone in the stream, as if no one saw him. He saw the souls of his own kin that was killed several days ago. They were the angels that were sent to the Underworld to relay messages and were massacred mercilessly by the King. He wanted to help and offer his assistance, thus, he directed his direction to those souls that were being whipped and tortured by the dark figure of the soul guiders.

He tried and tried. However, he was trapped. He found out that he was unable to get out of the stream that he was floating in. It was as if the stream itself acted as an obstacle that prevented him from going anywhere. He was tired, too tired, and he stopped trying. He stopped altogether, merely watching as his own kinds were tortured even more. He shut his eyes, not wanting to see. He wanted to rip his eyeballs and ears off.

--

Time passed by and he was still floating. He was not nervous, he didn't feel anything. Not even anxious, seeing as he didn't know where he would be taken to. Finally, the blue and green were gone and he saw bright lights blinding him. He raised his arms to block the lights from blinding him even further and he narrowed his cerulean eyes. Then, when he opened his eyes again, he found out that he was out of the stream of life. He was in a room...somewhere...somewhere deep within the stream of life... a place that not even the King knew about. How did he know all that? He knew...he merely knew and he didn't need to explain.

He stood up straight. His shoes touched with the white blank floor of the room. He took a step and his step resounded through the whole area and he took another step and another and another until he reached another blindingly white door. He took in a deep breath, not knowing what was beyond the door. He knew he didn't have any other choice besides to open the door. Thus, he put his hand on the white and cold as snow doorknob. He felt shivers ran up his spine. He hesitated for a bit, not sure whether or not he should go inside. With his hand still on the doorknob, he turned ninety degrees and found out that there was no way out of there besides the door in front of him. Everything was surrounded by a dimension of darkness.

Slowly, he turned the doorknob. The door shrieked open, as if rejecting his entry. He took in a deep breath, looking around. It was bright—too bright for his eyes. But then, his eyes adapted to the light and everything came into view. There was nothing in the room—only a blank, colorless oval area. As he pushed the door opened even more, his eyes widened and it soon narrowed, not liking what they saw, yet at the same time, contradiction always existed inside him.

There, in the middle of the room, an egg shaped object was standing erected and strong. The egg slowly opened up as Roxas stepped into the room. He was unwilling to get inside, but he knew that he needed to do it in order to fulfill his destiny—or some other bullshits that the Celestians said. He had no choice; the purpose of his existence was already determined to begin with. Finally, the egg opened up wholly, revealing a shell inside that contained…a boy—a spiky haired boy. He looked really similar to the blond angel. However, there were some outward appearances that distinguish the two boys and it was easily noticed. The boy's hair was chocolate, yet Roxas' was golden.

Roxas immediately knew who it was—his nightmare, his best friend, his whole entity, his soul, his one being—his other, the one who was going to take everything away from him and delete his existence from the world. The brunet's eyes were closed, sleeping in his deepest slumber. He laughed dryly, eyes glued to the other boy that was floating calmly in the shell. He walked slowly to the shell and reached out to touch the thin armor of the egg. "It's not like…I have an existence in this world to begin with. Isn't that right, Sora?" he said grimly, cerulean eyes becoming blank, void of life.

"I'm here because of you…and that would mean that you're free to take it away. But…I don't know why I'm being so selfish," the blond angel shook his head violently. He was not crying, no. He didn't want to cry. It had happened and it would happen again, he had expected it. There was no need for tears to shed. "There is so much more… so much more to say to him. He has changed…immensely. So much that I don't even recognize him anymore," he continued his dark and whispering tone echoed throughout the room.

Then he chuckled. "I don't know why I'm talking to myself," he laughed.

"_You're not. I'm here, Roxas. You know that I'm always here."_ A voice suddenly rang in the blond's head.

"Sora? Is that you?..." he asked uncertainly.

"_I'm not merely sleeping in there, you know." _Roxas could almost hear the grin in Sora's voice.

"Then… what are you doing in there?" the angel asked, hesitating, taking several steps away from the shell.

"_Listening to your self-pity." _The answer was followed by a slight laugh. _"Roxas…I'm… okay, look seriously, I'm not good at this formal talk and I sure don't wanna let you wallow in self-pity. So here it is, you want to know why I don't open my eyes when I'm talking to you like this?" _the voice asked playfully.

Roxas narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

The voice chuckled playfully. _"Because I'm in a deep slumber?" his statement sounded more like a question to the blond's ears._

"Sora, you know what I should do…"

"_Roxas…"_

"That was nothing though. The Underworld is much more horrifying."

"_Are you sure? I doubt that…" _The voice grimaced. Roxas merely stood there, staring, not giving any answer or response. "_Roxas, I know you can handle it."_

"It's up to you now, right, Sora? Why are you in here in the first place? Everyone is looking for you. They wanted me to…"

"_That's not going to happen. I stayed here because I choose to."_

"But…you suddenly disappeared after the war and…" the blond shook his head violently, not understanding what was happening.

"_It's my choice, Roxas. You needn't worry about that. And no, it's not up to me. It's in your hands. I'm going to stay here for a while until…"_

"What are you doing here? Why are you in the Underworld? Does Axel know about all of this?"

"_No, you're the only one who knew about my whereabouts. Don't tell anyone, Rox." _The voice was soft yet demanding, avoiding the questions that the blond angel gave.

"No, the mission… I've finally found you…"

"_Since when do you start caring about missions, Rox? Where's the rebellious Roxas three thousand years ago? Or was it four thousand?"_

"I should…fulfill my mission… so that everyone would be happy."

"_Who are you living to please, Roxas? You or the others?" _the voice suddenly turned firm, not as playful as before. It was demanding.

"I… But, what about Riku?"

Sora's voice was hesitant for a while. However, it soon turned into the usual soft, light tone. "_If you and Axel can wait for over three thousand years to meet again…then,  
I have no doubt that me and Riku could do the same."_

"It's not fair to both of…"

"_Then, what about Axel?" _the voice cut in.

Roxas grinned mischievously. "What about him?" he said playfully. He chuckled a while later. "He _raped_ me, Sora."

"_I know about that," _Sora replied happily. _"And that's not rape if you're willing."_

"I cried and he kept going. It hurts and he kept hurting me," Roxas reasoned.

The voice laughed softly, almost gentle_. "Excuses…"_

Roxas was unable to answer. He bit the insides of his mouth, pouting.

There was suddenly a slight rumbling and the whole place shook. Roxas lost his balance and ended up landing on the floor on his butt. The ramblings stopped and the blond looked around, wondering what had happened, questioning whether the area would fall apart and threatened his and Sora's life.

"_Time's up. I hope that we don't have any meeting like this under such circumstance. I know that he will come for you, Rox. After all, you know that he will never change. And also…__**him**__…" _Sora's voice was grim when he spoke out the last word.

--

The silver head angel stepped into the enormous building made of concrete. He opened the double sided door hastily, busting in without hesitation. There was something that he would need to search for and to find out information about. Every second that passed without him knowing about what he would need to know took his soul away. The more he thought about it, the more he let his emotions took over his body.

Angels that were inside the Heaven's Library immediately turned their attention to the angel who made his way inside the library rudely. Riku ignored those glares and stares and went on to search for the book that he thought would contain the information he needed. He spread his wings and flew up to the fourth floor of the building. After that, he began to frantically search around. His sea-breeze eyes searched and scanned quickly through every last title that he came across.

He stopped after half an hour of long search. He was tired, his anger and curiosity ceased and he even began to think that the book he wanted had been purged off Celestia because of its contents. When he leaned his back to a bookshelf, closing his eyes, a book thicker than dictionary suddenly fell to his side. He opened his eyes almost instantly and looked at the book that was set near his feet. He frowned. "_The War of Light…"_ he whispered, bending down slowly. "That's…the war that took place a thousand years ago… and took him away," he spoke to himself.

Slowly, hesitantly, he reached out. His pale hand touched the book and he expected the worst to happen. Something like a tornado suddenly sprung up and swept away Celestia or a giant beast headed his way, killing everything in its way—just for acquiring the book that Riku thought was really precious. None of what he thought happened. He picked up the book and started to skim through every page.

It was everything he knew about the war… _every _last thing that he saw with his very eyes. The war was inevitable and they fought hard and…what did they acquire from that bloodshed? _Nothing_… they acquired _nothing_. It was still good that nothing was gained and lost. However, this silver head angel lost someone really precious in his life… _Sora_. Sora went missing after the bloodshed and was never seen again for a thousand years. He wanted to know where Sora was. He had to know. Every second that passed without Sora beside him felt like an eternity.

He had read through '_War of Light' _before. He had searched frantically for a thousand years for his whereabouts, but he didn't find any meaningful clue. He didn't find anything. However, this time…he felt like he would be able to find information that would mean something to him.

--

The redheaded angel was pulled down by gravity. She flew down at an increased rate as time passed. Her eyes were closed, but her heart was still beating. Her abdomen was bleeding and the blood flew, taken away by the wind as she went free-falling to Earth. She was unconscious. Her murderer had left her to death and she was in too much pain to open her eyes.

--

Zexion went to the laboratory that was located at the other side of the cells. Before he even went in the room, he could sense the two beings inside—Larxene and Vexen, the seductive and dangerous head of the Lilim and the crazy human scientist that made his way to the Underworld without being killed by the King.

Calmly, without making any noises, Zexion stepped into the area and the automatic double sided door opened up before him. He held the piece of burnt paper close.

Larxene, who was flying around, observing Vexen's experiment, immediately turned her attention to the intruder. "Oh, it's you, Zexion," she said, calming down.

The lilac haired male raised an eyebrow. "Research on the Lust Project?" he inquired, showing no interest.

"Definitely," the blond haired scientist said, never looking at Zexion, too engrossed in the experiments and drugs before him.

"It worked on that angel, you know!" the head of the Lilim chattered excitedly. "And also, on the King," she purred, flying close to the Cloaked Schemer.

"Oh…" Zexion answered simply.

"What, you don't believe me?" the Lilim pouted. "You know as well as I do about the King and the Angel. Last time, I used this drug and the candle, they had sex. And it's not just any kind! It was the type with lust and love!" she exclaimed.

Zexion seemed to be thinking a bit before answering. "Is that so?" he inquired, still not interested.

"Hey!" Larxene protested.

"Back away, Larx. I have more important research to attend to."

Ignoring the glare that Larxene sent, he walked away from where he was standing, going to another area that was even more secluded than the first. The pentagonal shaped room was filled with tools—tools of any kinds, weapons, tubes, tanks, computers, projector, and experiments. He didn't even take a glance at the experiments that were floating in the tubes, all alive, staring at him with malice and hostility.

He sat down on one of the seats inside the room and set the burnt paper that he was holding on the table. Staring at it for a while, he began to do what he needed to in order to obtain the information that would prove useful and beneficial to the King. "God…" he muttered again. Something had changed and he knew it.

--

Several minutes later, Zexion's eyes widened in disbelieve. He stared at the piece of paper without saying anything, holding his breath. "There is something or…someone behind all of this…" he muttered to no one but himself, thinking, placing his hand on his chin. "Should I inform the King?..." he inquired again, hoping to get an answer from someone even though he knew that there was no one in the room and that he shouldn't be discussing about such matter to other beings except the King.

Suddenly, he sensed that something wrong was going on inside the castle. It was an omnipresent sense, very faint, yet somehow very close. He immediately stood up from where he was sitting, bringing the piece of paper along. He opened a portal and stepped inside, heading to the area where the presence was strongest and later finding out that he couldn't even get close to the place.

--

Namine immediately knew that something wrong was going on as soon as she saw the dark haired angel was hurrying somewhere else. She couldn't help but feel that something was amiss even though another side of her would convince herself that there was nothing wrong.

Silently, she tried to follow Xion to find out what was going on. However, the dark haired angel was faster than her and in the blink of an eye, Xion had disappeared from where she was supposed to be. The blonde angel decided to turn back and asked Xion about it later.

--

The dance continued. The color of orange mixed with crimson fire painted the room. The temperature was risen to an extreme and blood was spilled everywhere. However, the minions of underlings kept adding the more the King killed. The King, however powerful he was, was drained from the hours of battle. The underlings didn't even seem to budge at the high temperature. The King was panting as he continued to unleash his chakrams at his opponents.

He licked his dry lips. Roxas was gone, the enemy kept adding and there was no way out. However, he was confident. He knew that it wasn't the end.

"My Lord, it was all an illusion." a calm and familiar voice rang through his head. "See through the illusions. Don't let them deceive you."

The King narrowed his eyes. Was it all merely illusions? There was no question about it. He knew that the cloaked schemer was never wrong when it came to illusions and schemes.

"They are not at all there," the calm voice continued. "Control your emotions, my Lord."

Axel stopped his dance a while later, standing still, open and vulnerable to the enemies before him. Never would he thought that he would be overwhelmed by his underlings—even if it was merely illusions. He shut his eyes, ignoring breathes and pants that were emitted from the enemies. He closed himself from his surroundings and maintained his breath and his…emotions. He breathed slowly, it shouldn't be too hard… he convinced himself. The enemies disappeared one by one. However, as images of how Roxas' death flew to his brain, his anger slowly crept in, causing the underlings to spawn back from darkness.

"My Lord!" said the calm voice, reprimanding the King that he should immediately ceased his emotions.

Axel immediately took control over his emotions. It took him quite a bit of time. As he was concentrating, dusks suddenly went outrage and started to attack him. They held up their needle-shaped hands and was about to cut the King. Zexion saw this action and he quickly formed a plan to protect the King. Opening his lexicon, he casted a spell that created a barrier around the redhead. The barrier was successful in keeping away the attacks from the Underlings. However, he knew that it wouldn't last long.

After several minutes, Axel finally regained control over his emotions. The temperature in the area dropped immensely and the hordes of enemies disappeared into thin air, leaving nothing behind. He had a slight idea about what caused the sudden attacks from the underlings and he was sure that Zexion knew more about it. However, there was no time for him to inquire. He opened a dark portal.

"Where are you going, My King?" the Cloaked Schemer inquired, curious.

"There's only one place where dead and stranded souls go. That's where I'm going," the King replied with a smirk and stepped into the portal, disappearing.

The lilac haired male sighed. "Don't make a mess…"

The King headed to the part of the Underworld which was heavily guarded. With the wounds he bore and the energy left inside of him, he stepped out of the portal. If God could do all that, then…it was no doubt that there would be another fierce battle awaiting him.

--

What do I have to say? Well, first off, the timeline of what was happening to each people is not consequent. But I do hope that you will be able to figure it out and connect some pieces. And do let me know if the characters are OOC-ed, in a bad way? Well, yeah… :D Tell me what you think? :D I would really be looking forward to hear from all of you. Thank you!

Also, to "…" who is an anonymous reviewer that I can't reply to. Thanks for the review. :D I'm glad you think that at least this fic deserved an 8.4/10. :D I do hope that you're entertained and of course, I look forward to hear from you again and I hope to keep you entertained. Hehe. :D thanks!\

I'm sorry that I have to delete the two reviews in chapter 8 along with the chapter. sorry... D: anyway, if you haven't read Harmony of the Sky. XD hehe, it's in chapter 3 now. =3 **Edit: **Wow, it's not deleted (only the chapter is deleted). Yay!! :D Oh, and the poll. Remember to take it. It will decide the next chapter's come out. I'll un-blind the poll once the next chapter is about to be posted. =3

Happy Chinese New Year! (I celebrate it and it is tiring… all the cleaning and cooking. :) )

-terra hotaru


	9. Facade

I'm really sorry this is late. I haven't been getting much inspiration lately, but at least I wrote this out. Thank you very much for staying with me!

**Special Thanks: **khrocks94, lovetheHams, Twister Atma, Insanecat6, blusky07, mei lynn 64, Mantineus, sad kuroneko, reeby10, Dancing Flurry, IlOvEgAaRa666. Thank you for the lovely reviews!!!

Enjoy!

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 9**

**Façade **

Axel could sense hostility all over the area as he stepped into the lowest part of the Underworld. If Zexion was correct, this hostility should all be coming from illusions, mere tricks. Those bastards from above the clouds were again, pulling strings behind them, planning something. But, of course, if they were not doing that, there was not a chance in the world that he would be able to meet Roxas again. Not ever. Axel knew the God too well to forget how much pain he and Roxas had to suffer through. They went through what seemed like a million years together, changing history as they go, but were never be able to be together, just because Celestia forbade it. There were wars, there were battles, but Axel was still not strong enough to defeat God, the being that had created him.

He refused to believe that.

He took in a deep breath as he opened the enormous double door that led to the stream of life with his trusted chakrams on his side. His wounds were bleeding horribly and the blood wouldn't stop streaming out, as if working with God to destroy him, to see him suffer. He took a deep breath, ready for battle, facing the countless underlings cluttered up right before him.

--

There was disturbing noises outside the stream of life that passed by unheard, yet at the same was caught by Roxas' sensitive ears. The area that Roxas was in rumbled violently and he lose balance, falling onto the floor on his knees. He clutched the front of his own shirt, his head began to throb violently as the noises of screaming dead spirits kept assaulting him, pleading for help, begging for release. Sweats began to form on his forehead and he shivered violently. The area he was in slowly disappeared and after a while, he couldn't see that sleeping form that belonged to Sora. Sora wasn't there anymore. He had disappeared, swallowed by the darkness.

Roxas looked around. His vision was blurry and his head was threatening to burst because of the intensity of the throbbing. He was starting to lose his focus, he was starting to see darkness, and no doubt, he was going to lose again, lose to this battle of his, and Sora… "Axel…" he muttered as he was slowly wrapped in the soothing comfort of the darkness, luring him into his deep slumber—a slumber that he would never awaken from, sleeping for eternity.

--

Axel shifted to the right, moving with the wind, and dodging every single attack that was directed to him. The sickening hue of green and white was enveloping the area and spirits were shrieking, in fear that the intensity of the battle would eventually affect them and erase them off from existence. The spirits were very fragile, just a mere concentrated energy would wipe them off and they would never be reincarnated or see the world again. The spirits in the stream of life gathered around together, trying to form their little barrier of safety, in the area of the stream that would protect them, keeping clear distance from the battle that was taking place right in front of them. Some were lost, panicked, flying around without directions and ended up getting eaten by Grim Reapers who had gone berserk.

The King spun to the side as another attack by an ogre was launched toward him. He sidestepped and got to the back of a grim reaper, catching the being off guard and slit its existence away using his razor sharp chakrams. He hissed in pain as he felt a sharp needle pierced into his body, scratching mercilessly. He was immediately backed to a wall. He narrowed his eyes into slits, eyes filled with anger and frustration. His emotions were threatening to consume him, but he knew that he must control his emotions. Otherwise, the enemies would keep springing up continuously, making the battle endless.

He kept his distance before he prepared himself to sheath his chakrams with flames and throwing them like boomerangs. Tens of underlings were dispatched in seconds and he grinned of the success, panting all the while, losing his breath after the long battle. All he needed was to go into the opening to the stream of life to find the angel. However, the enemies were obviously not going to be cooperative let along letting him into the stream easily.

"My King!!!" a voice suddenly rang in the area and the redhead could see three figures running in from the double door, dashing to his aid.

"What is happening here?!" the pink headed Grim Reaper asked, summoning his trusty scythe to his side, ready for battle. "Cease the foolish acts immediately, reapers." The leader of the Grim Reapers commanded. However, he was immediately assaulted by the dusks. With a swipe of his scythe, he cut off the enemies in front of him into two. Blood started to burst out, painting the white floor crimson.

"Zexion is seeking for a way to end these illusions," the blond scientist informed, standing at the side observing. When he noticed that enemies were sneaking up behind him to catch him off guard, he dodged away, fishing for a glass tube filled with unnamed black liquid in his pocket, and opening it up, throwing the tube to the enemies. Deafening screaming filled the room and the enemies were enshrouded in darkness, devoured by the manifestation of the dark that took the form of humans. The dark slaughtered and devoured the demons mercilessly, starting from their heads, arms, legs, and bodies, leaving nothing behind. Vexen smirked at his yet another successful experiment. "Fear and terror are indeed good weapons," he mumbled to no one in particular.

"These are illusions?" Marluxia asked while killing off the 'friends' that had turned enemies.

"Yes, but these illusions are intensely concentrated, rendering it impossible to simply wish them away," the slightly old scientist informed, taking yet another liquid to eliminate the underlings. The numbers were no lessened no matter how much they fought. The more they fought, the intense the battle became, spawning more enemies from the darkness.

"They keep appearing!" the leader of the Lilims shrieked as she was flying around the area to assessed the situation from her viewpoint.

Axel dispatched yet another horde of enemies by summoning his pillars of fire. "And they will," the king commented darkly, concentrating on taking off as many enemies as he could. "Larxene, find an opening for me to get into the stream of life."

The blond Lilim blinked, looking in disbelieve at the King. "As you wish, My King," she replied without wasting any time asking her questions. When she was about to head off to look for an opening, she was immediately confronted by a huge ogre with a number of Lilims floating around the giant being. She was taken by surprise as she immediately flew away, dodging attacks. "I can't believe I'm being attacked by my servants," she muttered, quickly recollecting herself. The king helped her by summoning a pillar of fire, effectively taking out a number of the lilims. Larxene smiled, "Thanks, King!"

She turned around suddenly, facing the underlings with a vicious smile on her face. As she reached out her hand, lightning jolted to her side and two small daggers manifested in the air, she quickly grabbed them. She flew towards the enemies, so fast that those underlings couldn't detect her. With quick and precise accuracy, she took down five lilims in merely several seconds, slitting their throats, leaving no chance for them to even breathe their last breath. She laughed, continuing with her assault until she had taken down all her underlings. She dismissed her daggers after she was done, summoning a jolt of lightning to electrocute the huge broad weapon that the ogre was holding. The huge chunk of iron was immediately filled with electricity. The ogre struggled to hold it tight, but released it later on because of the stinging pain that assaulted him. The huge weapon was pulled down by gravity in such speed that it killed every being that came its way. Larxene giggled before she flew off again to complete the task that the King had given her.

--

Roxas breathe hitched. His heartbeat was increased in a rapid speed that he was suddenly panting. He ran and ran and ran, seeking a way out of the darkness, but he never found the light that he needed. He never found his light that he was seeking. Where? Where was it? He ran and ran…but then, his breath was suddenly leveled. He didn't feel tired anymore. Everything was silent. He couldn't even hear his own voice.

He tried yelling and screaming. He shouted from the top of his lungs, screaming, trying to make a noise, but he heard nothing… not even his own breathing… he was suddenly deaf—there was no sound, no noise, no…_nothing_…only the darkness and he. He started to question whether or not he had lost his voice, but he began to doubt that possibility seeing as he couldn't even hear his own breath. It was as if his voice was consumed by the darkness, using it as its energy as the darkness became even darker.

He was starting to lose himself. Slowly, he started to lose sight of himself. First, his hands went missing, enshrouded by darkness and then his body, his legs, his feet…he blinked, stepping back, hoping that everything would be alright. But no, the darkness became even intense and he had no choice but to give in to nothingness. He was disappearing and then…he vanished from the area…nowhere to be found.

--

"I found it!" Larxene informed. "The stream had formed an entrance right here," she pointed to an area. "I can't find the guiders," she added. "And there are fifty-eight lines of enemies to kill in order to get to here."

Axel nodded, giving a sign that he understood what Larxene had just told him. "Fifty-eight," he grumbled. He was already growing weary and tired after all the fighting. His face was bleeding because of simple scratches and his cloak was torn slightly because of the attacks he received. He suffered some minor and little major injuries. He was panting and sweating, having used too much of his energy.

"We'll hold them off," Marluxia commented, stepping in front of his King.

"This place is a good experiment ground," Vexen commented, agreeing.

Axel stared for a while before he nodded. "Alright. Don't fail me."

"We won't, King," Larxene giggled.

The three nodded, flashing their murderous smile. After that, they opened a path for the King.

--

Roxas was sinking, drowned into the endless abyss of nothingness. He kept falling and falling into the oblivion. "Obli…vion…" he muttered, forced into a stage where he was half asleep and half awake. His eyes were half-lidded, blurring, seeing nothing, dark and unfocused.

He finally gave in, closing his eyes, dropping deep into his endless slumber. "Roxas!" a voice suddenly echoed, a voice that belonged to someone so familiar. "Roxas!"

He wanted to wake up. He wanted to jolt up and opened his eyes, yet at the same time, his body refused to let him do so.

"Axel…" he mumbled.

He remembered… he recalled that one time… that one time where he was so happy… where everything wasn't like that—where it was bright, where everything was so calm, until they learned the _truth_, the truth that brought nothing but sadness to the both of them, separating them for thousands of years until they could meet again.

"I want to get out of here," he muttered, eyes still refusing to open up.

'_Call out to it, Roxas. Call out to it and it will help you.'_

"What…what is _it_, Sora?" he mumbled under his breath, falling and falling.

'_The Keyblade.'_

"But…you're the one that wield it…So…ra."

'_Roxas, I won't forgive you if you die in here.'_

There was silence.

"Take me out of this darkness…take me out," he chanted, still tempted to go back to his slumber.

"Roxas." The voice again, determined and loud this time.

"Take me out… of this oblivion," the angel's voice turned firm. He jolted awake, eyes opening wide.

"Roxas!" the voice again, worried and discouraged.

"Axel!" he called out. Bright light suddenly appeared and surrounded him. He was able to see himself again. He was still surrounded in complete and utter darkness, but he was able to see himself. He drew his hands close, watching his palms, and he blinked as suddenly, black and dark smoke enshrouded his hands. He quickly retracted it, but he immediately changed his mind. "Don't fear it…accept it…" he mumbled. "Oblivion…" he whispered.

Then, suddenly, a keyblade manifested in his hands. It was not the Kingdom Key, its form was so much more different, but it still held its basic shape of a Keyblade. The blade was black colored, taking a perfect thin shape with sharp edge. The handle took a heart-shaped form.

Roxas stared at the new Keyblade in awe. He seemed to have seen the Keyblade before, and at the same time, he felt very alien, but very familiar with it. There was this emotion as if something had come back to him, something that had long gone. "Oblivion…" he whispered. "Will you be able to take me out of this darkness and bring me back to light?"

He stared at the keyblade, as if knowing that it would answer him. He could feel the Keyblade stirred and he knew immediately that the answer was yes. The Oblivion was a keyblade that could cut through any darkness, but it doesn't bring any light. Roxas had to search for his 'light'. The Oblivion would only help guide him out of the darkness…out of the darkness of his heart…

With the new keyblade in his hand, Roxas stepped forward. His expression was determined. He held his trusty keyblade to his side, staring at the direction where he believed Axel's voice was calling just now. However, he paused when suddenly, a faint hint of light fell before him. It was a letter. The letter was covered in light, making it the only object that stood out the most in the pitch black area.

Roxas' face immediately grimaced. Another letter…

He dismissed the Oblivion and stepped forwards, bending down to take the letter that was lying on the ground to his hand. Slowly, he opened the sealed envelope. His fingers were shaking, fearing that what he had expected would come true. God was capable of doing anything. There was no question about that. And seeing that Kairi was the one that delivered the letter… it would mean that… "Kairi…" he whispered, suddenly struck with realization.

--

The redhead angel's eyes fluttered open slowly. Her vision slowly came to focus even though it was still really blurry. She wanted to sit up from where she was slumbering, but was quickly held back by the pain that immediately burst into her little body. She slammed back down on the floor bed, curling up in pain, hissing and trashing around.

"Are you okay?" a worried voice asked, immediately ran to her aid.

The angel panted, trying to look at the source of the sound. She found out that the voice belonged to a Mohawk blond. "I…I'm alright."

The blond smiled softly, but then he exclaimed, frustrated. "Argh, who am I kidding? There's no way that you're alright with wounds like that," he growled. "Do you need anything? Some porridge? Some…"

"No, I'm okay…" Kairi whispered, stopping Demyx, barely having the energy to talk. She later noticed that her wounds had been neatly bandaged and treated.

"Are you sure? You're injured really badly."

"I need more rest," she said calmly.

"Are you… an angel?"

"What?" Kairi blinked, asking weakly. How could the blond know about the existence of angels?

And as if reading her mind, Demyx smiled. "Don't worry. I've been alive for so long, I've forgotten how old I am. I know about the existence of the other worlds. So, you must be from Celestia. I don't understand. Who would hurt an angel this badly?" he frowned, trying to think.

Kairi coughed. "Xion… she…"

"Xion? _That_ Xion?"

"You knew her?"

"She's infamous. I know quite a bit about her," he growled again. "This is the situation where Axel would really help," he sighed.

"Axel?"

"Never mind. So you say that Xion stabbed you and left you to die?"

The redhead angel refused to answer.

There was silence.

"You should have your rest," Demyx said gently, covering the angel in the comfort of the blanket slowly. "I'll prepare you something to eat."

Kairi watched as the Mohawk blond walked away.

--

"I've taken care of her, God." The black haired angel reported, kneeling before an empty throne. She was expecting God to praise her for having done such a good and clean job.

"…"

There was no response. Xion immediately started to worry. "God?" she asked hesitantly.

"She's still alive," came a low and dark tone, filling the area.

"What? But I've…"

"She in the human world, treated and taken care of by a human who found her," the voice was calm and deep, but filled with malice and hatred.

"I… I'm sorry!" Xion bowed to her head. She shrieked in pain when the sound of bone-crunching noise rang across the area. She screamed and trashed on the ground, holding her wings. Her wings were torn apart, bleeding badly. The bones of her wings were shattered on the ground and the noise kept ringing, crunching her bones even more. More and more and more and blood kept spilling out until both of her wings fell on the ground. Beautiful white feathers were stained and pooled on crimson. The pair of wings lay motionlessly on the cold stone floor.

Tears of pain dropped from her eyes, dropping down her paled cheeks. She kept screaming and shrieking out of the pain, hoping that the noises would at least keep her distracted.

"Silence," God's voice echoed darkly in the throne room and more pain assaulted the dark-haired angel. "Your voice is irritating. There's only one angel that's allowed to voice out in that way."

She could feel her stomach twisting and turning, as if the insides of her intestines were intruded by some flesh-eating worms and those worms were eating everything in their way bit by bits. She held back her screams no matter how hard it was, biting her lips until they bled, fearing that God would punish her more for her mistakes if she made any more _sickening _noise. She began sweating and panting, hoping that it would all end soon, hoping that God would at least spare her and end her misery. "I wouldn't end you so soon, Xion," God stated as if he were able to read the angel's mind.

"I'm... I'm sorry…" she choked out, doubling over in pain as she felt her heart throb.

"Remember the pain, Xion. This is the pain that you'll have to suffer through if you make any mistake again," the voice said, cold and uncaring.

"Y-Yes…" she answered shakily, feeling every last bit of sickening sensation as the _things_ inside her continued devouring her heart.

"Very good. I will fix you, my Angel. Your next mission is to eliminate both Kairi and the human that helped her. Eliminate them both cleanly and leave no trace. You know what consequences you'll have to face if you fail, right?"

Xion nodded hastily. Then, she could feel her wings began to grow on her back. She jolted, trashing around like worms as the wings and bones began forming, cracking, and branching out like trees. She could feel the things inside her stopped and her heart and every piece that was eaten began forming again. The pain was unbearable and she couldn't pass out from it because she knew that God had made sure to let her suffer through all of the suffering of her mistakes.

--

Roxas opened the letter hesitantly. He paused for a while, but then he decided to just go through with it and read his new mission. The first sentence that came to his mind in the letter was enough to make him tore the letter apart. "_Annihilate Axel."_

He froze, but he didn't tear the letter.

"_I have provided the best way for you, Roxas. Complete the mission and return safely, my Angel."_

Then, images on what God had planned for him began to form in his mind, endlessly spurring images after images out. The letter was released from his grip and flew slowly down on the darkness. He knelt, eyes darkened, emotion grim.

"Roxas, dammit. Where are you?"

There! Roxas heard Axel's voice again. The voice was calm and collected, yet at the same time expressed worry. Axel was searching for him. He couldn't… if he…when he met Axel… he would have to carry out his mission… or God would take care of it himself.

--

Axel dodged through the spirits that were coming his way. He didn't want to do anything hasty when he knew that Roxas was inside the stream of life. The stream was very fragile and summoning fire or wielding his chakrams would cause trouble. Thus, he had to avoid anything that came his way. The spirits went into berserk if they were confused and became capable of hurting anybody that intruded the stream of life.

He searched frantically for the blond angel. Emerald eyes darted through everywhere, every spot that would be possible for Roxas to be there.

--

"Axel…" Roxas breathed shakily. He stood up. Sora was right. He couldn't die there. There was one important thing that he had to do, before he fulfilled his mission…to annihilate Axel.

He summoned his Oblivion to his side and started slashing off the darkness that surrounded him, making his way out, finding his light.

He kept running and running until he was exhausted.

--

Axel suddenly jolted. His eyes widened. He sensed Roxas. He was there somewhere.

He scanned the area.

He finally came to determine where Roxas exactly was. Narrowing his eyes, he summoned a small pillar of fire that blasted a hole through the stream of life, effectively opening his way to the blond. All the pretending had gone on long enough and it was about time they end it all. The façade…there was no need for it.

--

Roxas was tired of pretending.

Axel was tired of keeping his promise.

--

Roxas paused when he saw light in the darkness, just a little distance away from him. There's a small light… he swallowed a bit, hesitating, gripping his Oblivion before he finally stepped towards the light. The light enveloped him and he closed his eyes so that he wouldn't be blinded by its intense bright.

His eyes opened seconds later, standing there. It took him several seconds before he could find focus on what he was looking at. Finally, he found something that was out-of-color amidst the hues of green and white. To see that red again was a relief for Roxas. It was a relief, yet at the same time, he could feel the sadness and agony when he imagined what was about to come.

He merely stared, cerulean eyes gazing into emerald. Both were motionless, standing there amidst the noises of shrieking and screaming spirits. However, for them, it was eternal silence.

Roxas bit his upper lip, dragging it into his mouth. Oblivion dropped from his hand and swallowed by the darkness.

Axel stepped forward and immediately pulled the blond into his embrace, hugging tightly.

Roxas gasped. But shortly after, he relaxed into the warmth, hiding his face into Axel's chest.

There was no need for words. There was no need to say anything, because they already knew…

The spirits flew around them and the hues of green and white were circling around them, enveloping them in the aura. They were still, enjoying each other's warmth, bathing in the silence.

--

I give ya, yer… Oblivion!!! XD whee~ alas, the Kingdom Key is gone… -phew- Oathkeeper? Hehe. It will happen. Hope you enjoyed. Sorry it took me so long for this chapter and sorry for the pieces in the last few paragraph of the chapter. Reviews are loved and appreciated! So, if you want to.. :D Happy Valentine's Day! And the poll's open. Thank you for voting! I know this hasn't quite yet gotten to the whole result. I'll leave that for the next chapter.

**Edit: **I don't mean to do anything with God here. I'm not trying to conflict with personal beliefs/trying to get you belief in other stuff. Not at all. Seriously. I'm really sorry if I'm implying that, but this is the God in _this _fic. There's nothing whatsoever going on with beliefs or any religions and I'm not trying to do anything of that sort. Again, I'm really sorry.

-terra hotaru


	10. Decision

This chapter would be also in bits, telling what happened to each people. I know… D: Sorry… My bad organization skill…

**Special Thanks: **Twister Atma, Insanecat6, sakuraswolf, khrocks94, BonneNuit, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, blusky07, Jellybeans-steh, mei lynn 64, unholynight, Dancing Flurry, IlOvEgAaRa666, VampireFangs103, Jayrin Paige, yaoifanandanimemanga. Thank you!!!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 10**

**Decision**

Axel immediately looked up when he noticed that the stream of life was trembling even more violently than before. Roxas looked around, watching out for any harm that would come to them. They were both still touching each other, not willing to let go. They enjoyed each other's touch and they wanted it to stay forever, but they knew that nothing was ever forever for them. With a short huff, the King let go of the angel, turned around and took a step. "This place is about to crumble. We have to get out of here," he whispered under his breath, loud enough for Roxas to hear.

"What?" Roxas blinked. "What about the souls? Without them, the Balance would be disrupted and Sora…"

Axel jolted at the name Sora, but he didn't say anything.

The blond looked around hesitantly, contemplating on what he wanted to do. When the blond angel was about to take a step forward to approach the King, he stumbled as the area became more and more unsteady. He tried to grasp onto something so that he did not fall down. His eyes were widened in fear as he realized that the stream of life was splitting apart. He could see the blackness that was formed on the ground as the stream of life was torn in two and as if it was water, the green hues started pouring off from the stream, down and down and down until it was swallowed by nothingness.

Roxas lost his balance. He was standing right at the edge of the crack and Axel was several feet away from him. Axel immediately rushed to catch the angel. The angel gracefully fell to his arm and the King leapt away from the area as fast as he could, carrying the lithe blond bridal style, avoiding the spirits who had gone berserk and the crumbles of the stream of life that had apparently turned into acid water in its self-defense mechanism. Axel hissed as a droplet of water fell on his shoulder and started burning through his clothes, travelling into his skin.

The angel noticed and worry immediately graced his face. "The stream of life…" he whispered.

"The longer we stay in here, the more violent the stream of life will become in order to eliminate its 'intruder'," Axel explained clearly and calmly even though he was clearly panting, drained and exhausted.

"Intruder?"

"You."

There's a sly smirk plastered on his face. Roxas smiled when he saw the smirk, the same cocky and confident smirk that he had become familiar with. The same smirk that would make him felt that everything would be alright as long as Axel was there. Roxas swallowed, _"Nothing would be alright. No matter what we do."_

"Let me go, Axel. I can get out of here by myself," the blond's voice was determined.

"You think I would let you go?" the redhead smirked.

Roxas raised his eyebrows, "No?"

Axel smirked again and quickly dashed away, going to the exit. He could see it, just several steps away from them. His emerald eyes scanned the area carefully for any signs of danger. He could sense danger, but he couldn't find the source. There was nothing there except shrieking spirits, seeking for ways to escape. He narrowed his eyes.

"There's… _something _in here," Roxas whispered.

Axel didn't speak. The area was strangely still and it was quite for a while, until it started rumbling again. "There!" Roxas shouted, pointing to one corner of the stream of life that was intact and then, it was raining acid.

--

The sky was getting dark as it was time for the sun to disappear from that part of the world. It was a windy day. Demyx sneezed as he was preparing dinner for him and the redhead angel. Once in a while, he would check on Kairi. The aid kit was placed near where she was sleeping, so that it would be easier and faster to get if Kairi somehow got worst and began bleeding again. He breathed a soft sigh of relieve as he found out that Kairi was okay when he took a peek. The redheaded angel had been moaning in her sleep, trashing around uncomfortably. Demyx couldn't help but worry over the angel's well-being.

"Xion again…" he mumbled as he stirred the chicken soup he was brewing with a spatula, staring blankly into the empty rack in front of him. He shrugged. "Axel will take care of it, right?"

He took the small salt container and started pouring the crystalline chemical into the pot of soup. He knew exactly how much he needed. After all, he had been spending most part of his life cooking, either to feed himself or to earn money out of it. Making sure that the liquid of the porridge he was cooking at the same time had been absorbed into the rice, he put out the cooking fire and took a big bowl that would be used to contain the porridge. Having done all that, he set the porridge down on the small table in the front area, right in front where Kairi was slumbering.

He returned to the kitchen soon, stirring the soup for a little while more before putting off the fire and taking the whole pot, setting it on the table while humming a very soft, familiar song.

Kairi stirred at the song. She opened her eyes slowly and started sitting up little by little, taking care not to hurt her fragile body. She wiped off the sweat that had formed on her forehead using her arm. Everything came into view gradually and she could smell something—food. It smelled really nice and her stomach was starting to grumble.

"Feeling a bit better?" Demyx asked softly, moving the chicken soup to a small bowl to give it to the angel.

Kairi blinked, unsure of what to answer, but then, she nodded.

Demyx smiled and returned to hum that familiar song.

"That song…" Kairi whispered. "It's the song… that Roxas used to sing… long ago…" she breathed, looking to the side, eyes glued to the floor, remembering the time when Roxas used to sing, when the blond's angel purpose was merely to entertain the rest of Celestia, singing happily and beautifully.

"It had been so long ago," Demyx released a soft, calm laugh, walking to Kairi, carrying the small bowl of soup that was releasing soft puffs of steam.

"It was the song of the Sacred Celestian's. How do you know that song? Humans shouldn't…"

"I know Roxas," Demyx explained. "And you can't quite say that I'm a human, considering that… I've been living in this world for thousands of years and hadn't aged since I'm twenty-one."

Kairi frowned lightly. "Who are you?"

"My name's Demyx and you are Kairi?"

"How do you know?"

Demyx smirked knowingly. "I know," he didn't explain much as he gave the bowl to Kairi. "Drink it while it's hot. It will make you better, I'm sure."

Kairi nodded, taking the bowl to her hands slowly, watching the white, slightly mucky liquid before she began to seep it down slowly. The sweetness and the savory taste assaulted her tongue. She sighed silently, enjoying the warmth and taste, quite surprised that a mere bowl of chicken soup could calm her down so much.

Demyx watched as the angel slowly finished the soup. "You want more? I have a whole pot there," he pointed, grinning, happy that Kairi seemed to enjoy the soup he made.

"No," the redhead shook her head. "I'm fine, thank you. How do you know Roxas?" she pressed on, seemingly determined to find the answer.

Demyx grinned even brighter. "The angel who fell down from the sky, kind, shy, and compassionate," he smiled gently. "His voice _was_ the most beautiful of all."

Kairi's face grimaced at the word 'was'. "Roxas stopped singing… he stopped…"

There was an awkward silence.

"And… the story about an angel with the most beautiful voice became merely history and myth in Celestia," she added silently.

Silence.

--

Riku jolted from his slumber. Apparently, he had fallen in sleep in the library. He looked around, immediately waking up and alerted. He thought he sensed something…something… that was of Sora…somewhere. But then again, he might be only dreaming about the brunet. After all, Sora had been missing for who-knows-how-long. It was almost impossible that Riku just sensed him out of nowhere. The silver-head released a long sigh, standing up, and letting the books that were sitting on his lap to fall down ungracefully on the floor. His eyes were half-lidded, indicating how tired he was.

When he stepped out of the library's double door, the sky was already dark and gloomy. The cloud also reflected the color and became darker. He saw a familiar face once he was outside. It was Namine. What was Namine doing out so late? Usually, she would be programmed to sleep early and be in her chamber until morning. The silver head angel approached the blond angel.

"What are you doing?"

"God…" she mumbled, her blue eyes were blank, devoid of any color or emotion. They were half-lidded and she looked as if her soul had been sucked out of her.

"God?..." Riku glared, demanding more out of the angel.

"Summoned. Eliminate. Perish. Failure. Creation." Her speech was jumbled and she didn't seem to be communicating with Riku at all. She merely stared into the nothingness in front of her, as if enticed, as if she were a dead zombie. Her blond hair was covering her face, dark and expressionless. Her pair of wings was spread out wide, shaking and quavering, as if in fear and horror.

Riku let go of the angel. Namine continued to walk, approaching the stairs where God resided. The silver head angel couldn't follow her. He knew that there was a barrier formed near the Chamber of God, preventing any entry. He had tried to confront God before, but it was in vain. He ended up getting injured and hurt by the barrier. Only those who had been summoned by God could get through the barrier. He watched as the blonde angel disappeared from view, silently bidding farewell. If what he comprehended from Namine's speech was correct, then that would be the last time he met the angel. It was time for her existence to be erased. She was a Nobody in Celestia after all…

Question was… should he stop her? There was still time…

--

Axel immediately dodged as soon as he looked at the direction Roxas was pointing at. There was an enormous tarantula crawling on the wall. The tarantula was white and shining, morphing and changing its color wherever it went like a chameleon. Axel hissed as the acid liquid of the stream of life rained down on him. He shielded the angel using his body, making it so that he acted as Roxas' umbrella.

"Axel! Put me down! You'll…"

"Quiet, Celestian," Axel growled angrily, barely managing to avoid the poisonous attack of the enormous color-shifting tarantula. "Is this your God's creation?" he hissed with a tone full of malice.

Roxas narrowed his eyes, upset for being treated and spoken to like that. He let out a small huff and summoned Oblivion. With ease, he slipped away from Axel's tight grip. If his guesses were right, the stream of life shouldn't be acid for him even though he was the intruder. God… must be protecting and shielding him from harm, because he had still yet to fulfill his final mission.

Right when a drop of acid hue of green made contact with him, he knew that he was right. He was unharmed. He suffered no damage from the water. The droplet was no different than normal rain. Axel's eyes widened for a moment before he realized the same fact. He had forgotten about that. "I'm okay, Axel. I'll take care of this thing," Roxas said without regarding the King, watching the tarantula's moves carefully. The giant animal might be big, but it was agile and quick.

Axel narrowed his eyes, hating the fact that he couldn't do anything. The rain kept dropping on him, making blisters and burning through his skin and muscles. Axel dropped on his knees and Roxas immediately came to his aide. "Axel!" he shouted worriedly. "You should get out of here. I'll protect this place," he knelt beside the King, trying to shield the redhead from the rain, but found out soon that it was almost impossible as it became heavier, threatening to sweep and melt everything in its way.

Roxas was careless. As soon as the tarantula found its opening, it swiftly crawled through the walls of the stream of life, changing its color so no one noticed its movement and spurred toxic liquid at the direction of the King and the Angel. It was too late to dodge. Roxas' eyes widened moments before the white, gooey liquid came out of the beast's mouth.

--

Xion was still shaky as she landed right in front of the little shack. Her eyes were blank and her face expressionless and merciless. She was deeply horrified and scarred at what God would do next if she failed again. She gripped her sword close. The sword was shining and glistening in the dark, having been sharpened carefully hours ago by the angel. If she were about to make sure that Kairi was "cleaned" properly, she had to take her to _that_ place, where no angels would survive, where reincarnation was impossible, where their soul would be incinerated together with their body.

She was trembling silently, looking at the door that would lead inside the shack uncertainly. She took a deep breath afterwards, narrowing her eyes, and placing a sadistic smile on her face. "All for God…" she whispered and took a step forward.

Slowly, she opened the door and droplets of water began to pour from the sky, which turned into a heavy rain soon. She pulled up her hoodie, making sure her face was hidden beneath her black hoodie, making sure that her entire being was hidden behind her oversized black cloak.

The door opened, creaking creepily.

Demyx and Kairi immediately snapped their attention to the intruder. Their chattering was cut off immediately. Kairi dropped the bowl she was holding and it dropped, clanking on the floor. "Xion?" she swallowed harshly, terrified, even more horrified when she noticed the razor sharp blade Xion was holding, the very same one that Xion used earlier to stab her.

Demyx looked at Kairi, puzzled, but then, he shifted his attention to the black haired angel.

"Your…wings…" Kairi narrowed her eyes, noticing immediately that Xion's wings had turned black. _Black_…

Xion took a deep breath, taking a dangerous step closer to them.

Demyx hastily jumped to his feet, guarding Kairi with no protection whatsoever. "What are you trying to do?" he inquired, worry in his voice.

"'Clean' the both of you," Xion replied darkly, raising her blade, ready to stab and take down the blond that was standing in her way.

Kairi's eyes widened. Quickly, she stood up, biting back the pain that was coming back to her again. She pushed Demyx away, effectively taking the sword into her body. Demyx fell on the ground on one of his knees. "Kairi!" he shouted, dashing over to hold Kairi's limp body without delay. "You!" he stared at the dark haired angel with hatred.

Xion narrowed her eyes in disgust. "Silence," she yelled, rushing in and pulling the twenty-inch blade out of the redhead angel's body. The sword was stained with crimson. The red liquid dripping delicately off the tip of the blade, pulled down by gravity. Blood streamed out of Kairi's stomach; painting the dress she was wearing with beautiful ruby. Xion smirked a sadistic smirk. The horror on Demyx and Kairi's face was enough to amuse her. There was nothing more delightful than watching the expression of terror, trembling before her.

With a growl, Demyx tackled Xion down, attempting to take the sword away from her. The angel was caught off guard, while Kairi was worried. She was panting harshly, having no energy to voice a single word. Everything that came out of her throat was either huffs or puffs. The pain was unbearable.

Xion struggled, while Demyx tried his very best to hold her wrists down. "Unhand me, you idiotic human!" she shouted.

"Not when you're holding that sword!" Demyx growled.

"Demyx," a deep, dark voice echoed in the small shack and suddenly, a shade of darkness swift into the room. Demyx let off his guard for a while, gasping as he felt Xion pushed him away. The black haired angel immediately took the chance to grab Kairi. She held her by the neck, pinning her down on the ground, threatening with her sword. Kairi shrieked silently, eyes widened in fear.

Demyx felt himself grabbed by the dark shadow, sharp-ironic claw holding him in place. He snapped his neck to the back instantly to look at the strange intruder. His eyes soon met with a pair of crimson and dark, long hair. The man was wearing mostly crimson cape, but there was darkness surrounding and shielding him. "Let me go!"

"Why?" asked the man.

"Save Kairi!"

"I'm here to take you out of here. The dying angel is not my concern."

"Hand that boy over or I'll kill her!" Xion hissed.

"You'll kill her no matter what and if I hand Demyx over, you'll kill him too, Celestian," the man reasoned, looking calmly with his crimson eyes.

Silence.

"You're pathetic, angel," he regarded at Xion.

"Vincent… Vincent Valentine. You're him, aren't you?" Xion hissed.

Vincent didn't answer. His grasp on Demyx tightened and he took out his gun to shoot Xion. Xion immediately flew away. Black feathers flew and floated in the air as it was shot down by the raining bullets. Every bullet was blocked accurately. As Xion was about to rush in to attack Vincent and snatched Demyx away, Vincent covered Demyx in his cloak of darkness and flew away, disappearing from the area. Xion wanted to give chase, but decided otherwise. She would have to take care of things one by one and Kairi earned the privilege.

The redhead angel gave a soft smile, relieved that Demyx had gotten out. She closed her eyes, accepting her death. Maybe… it was meant to be. All she wanted was just to be relieved of the pain. Before slumbering in darkness for eternity, she silently prayed that Roxas would be okay and also Sora and Riku…

--

Roxas gasped, preparing himself for the pain that was about to come, but… nothing happened. He opened his eyes slowly, looking uncertainly. The beast was still right in front of him, but it paused, as if paralyzed and numb, not showing any movements at all. He blinked when the giant tarantula vanished right before him and the acid rain stopped. He looked around…everything was oddly calm. He held Axel close, kneeling on one of his knees, Oblivion still in his hand.

"Zexion must have found a way to eliminate the illusions."

"This is all illusions?" Roxas asked in disbelieve.

Axel nodded weakly, his energy and power deteriorating.

Roxas' heart skipped a bit. God was already intervening in the Underworld and there was nothing he could do to prevent it from happening. The only thing he could manage was to do the exact opposite, assisting God…

Roxas noticed something floating down from the blank space in front of him. It was a small paper, containing something. Roxas reached out and the small object landed calmly in his hand. _"Kill him for me, my Angel." _God's dark voice rang in Roxas' head, as if his head was hollow. The angel bit his lower lip and shoved the object inside his pocket, making sure that Axel didn't notice what he was doing. Then, he went back to attend the King. He took Axel's arm and hung it around his shoulder. With much effort, he carried the King. "Can you move?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Axel answered calmly, his voice was slightly shaky.

Roxas smiled kindly. "Axel, you can drop that act now, you know," he stated softly. "And… I will drop the act."

"You make me promise you promises," the King chuckled weakly.

"And we always break it, right?"

They walked together, Roxas carrying the redhead, heading towards the exit. Everything was calm and still and the stream of life had returned to its original condition. It was as if nothing happened before, but their wounds were apparent and true.

"Axel…" Roxas whispered.

"Yeah?"

"You're a king now," the blond laughed.

"You just noticed?" the King smirked.

And there was silence…nice and comfortable silence between the two. Roxas suddenly stopped halfway, just right when they were about to get out of the place. "I was just thinking…" Roxas wondered. "If you're the King, you couldn't look like this in front of your subjects, right?" he raised an eyebrow. "Look at you…" he laughed. "A mess," he said, laughing, but it sounded dry. Axel noticed Roxas' fake emotions.

"I think… I can do something about that…" the angel smiled, leaning to the front so that he was face to face with the King. Closing his eyes, he planted a soft kiss on Axel's lips, an angel's kiss that wished for wellness and health. Axel tried to pull away, knowing exactly what Roxas was trying to do.

The angel deepened the kiss, placing his hand in the strands of red hair, pulling Axel closer. They were motionless for a while, until blisters and injuries started to appear on Roxas' lithe body and the King's wounds started disappearing, transferred to the angel. Roxas dropped on his knees a while later, feeling the pain soaring into him. He could feel his skin melting, burning, and aching. He hissed, biting back the pain. Panting, he said, "Sorry, that's all I can do. I haven't mastered…the technique yet…" he whispered, knowing that not all the King's injuries were taken away by him.

"Foolish Celestian," Axel released a huff. He took the blond's arm, yanking it, ignoring the shriek of pain coming from the blond's mouth. He covered Roxas' lips in a passionate kiss, kissing gently, yet at the same time demanding and loving. Roxas released a short breath, smiling awkwardly into the kiss. He moaned, enjoying the kiss, chuckling softly, preparing himself for Axel's tongue, forgetting about the pain momentarily.

Axel smirked into the kiss, parting his lips and breathing hotly into the angel's mouth. Without a single hesitation, he began invading Roxas' mouth with his tongue. It was a taste so familiar… so familiar and delicious that both never wanted to separate, leaving each other craving for more. Roxas blushed brightly, breathing puffs of hot breaths, panting and moaning. Axel groaned, satisfied that he had successfully elicited such reaction from the blond.

His hands began moving, reaching the hem of the blond's torn shirt, reaching around, feeling the skin. They broke apart when Roxas yelped and jumping back in pain. Axel had touched one of his injuries and it stung, burning. Axel merely stared, not apologizing, not saying anything, still holding the blond, but more gently and more delicately, handling the angel with care. His predatory emerald eyes bored into the blond's clouded cerulean.

Roxas was shy. His attention was glued to everything but Axel. His heart was still beating abnormally from the little show of affection. Silently, he regretted ever making Axel promise. Then again, he would always regret something that he had done.

Axel released a small laugh. The laugh was rich and bright, natural… Roxas smiled shyly, finally eyeing the King.

"Let's get out of here," the redhead suggested.

Roxas nodded. "Yeah."

--

Ah, after submitting two arts of Roxas and Riku in DA, this finally got finished, whilst drawing Axel~. Eh, apparently, the arts got done first… xD and it's all on my DA profile. Next chapter will feature a lot more AkuRoku. =D *winkwink, hinthint* I haven't done this since chapter 4 huh? Well, 11 it is!!! Or 12? O.o ~ I hope you enjoyed! Thank you very much!!!


	11. Is it Sinful to Love

Been so long since chapter 4, hummm? I PROMISEDDD~ Okay, I dedicate this whole chapter to AkuRoku then. And of course, I dedicate this chapter and the next one or two to all of my reviewers, alerters, and favers. Thank you so much, you guys!!! I feel so loved~

Enjoy!

**Special Thanks: **to **illbewaiting**, I love her so much… can't believe how much I'm obsessed over her… o.o xD it's unhealthy. She's just pure awesome. To **Jayrin Paige, **-sigh- my Axel… amazing~ I can't even start to tell you how amazing she is… she builds the kink up inside me~. To **Riku-Stalker, **my hubby~ ahhh, another amazing person. She pampered me beyond all reasons and she drew me an art for Harmony of the Sky (go look!!!). To **Lifes . Lover,** she's been listening to all my rants and she's the best-est friend EVER! And also to Dancing Flurry. Mucho love! And of course, LawlietxRinoa, unholynight, akuroku fan on fire, IlOvEgAaRa666, babo123, minimint, AbsoluteAkuRoku, mei lynn 64, cloudchenchan, Twister Atma, Insanecat6, blusky07. Thank you for the reviews!!! Wow… they almost reach 200~!!! I kinda wanted to have this as a special present for 200~ xDD but 194 is a LOT~ so yepz!! ALMOST!! hehe. -crazy- anyway, thank you very much everyone!!! Thank you for still reviewing after ffnet has been fixed!!! You are all very lovely!

Here's a special gift for all of you. I hope that it's not too sudden.

**Warning: **Don't say I didn't warn you. And I don't wanna ruin everything by pointing out the obvious reasons for the warning, -evil smirk- but if you feel uncomfortable reading this chapter, stay away. =D Thank you for understanding~ and _long _chapter is _LONG_!!! :D grab some popcorn, my friends~

**Word Count: (**excluding A/N and endnote) 7,087 words and ffnet and the notes boost this whole chapter up to 8,200 words~

**Chapter 11**

**Is it Sinful to Love?**

When they finally got out of the stream of life, they could see the leader of the Grim Reaper, leaning on the other side of the wall, seemingly exhausted, still holding his scythe near, alerted. Marluxia was about to rush in to attack Axel and Roxas, thinking they were another enemy, but he paused when he noticed that they were no other than the King and the angel.

"The experiments… gone…" Vexen took in a sharp breath, mourning for the disappearance of the enemies.

Roxas tilted his head to the side slowly to look at the scientist, making sure not to do anything unnecessary that would cause him hissing in pain. He was currently being carried by the King, bridal style. He stared at the blond girl when Larxene gave him a confused expression, knowing very well what the Lilim was thinking. He shifted his attention soon afterwards, not wanting to make any of Axel's loyal servants to suspect or think lowly about the King.

Axel looked at Marluxia, demanding explanation while still holding Roxas in his hands tightly and delicately. "Report," he said calmly.

"Zexion was here a while ago. He said that he had broken the illusions and that they wouldn't reappear again," Marluxia answered, dismissing his weapon.

"Where is he?"

"He went away, saying something concerning the human world."

Axel paused, thinking for a while before nodding. "Alright. Is everybody okay?" he asked.

Everyone in the room blinked. Axel was actually showing concern for his servants? He was known as a cruel and uncaring King…a King who only cared about his own sadistic desire of killing his own servants and watching blood and crimson painted all over the castle, punishing anyone who went against him…

"Oh…that's why…" Larxene spoke in realization. She giggled. "So…" she trailed off. "_That's _why, my King," she smiled. "I knew you weren't so heartless."

"Absurd, Lilim," Vexen snapped. "Do not speak of the King that way."

Larxene merely released a huff, staring uncaringly at the scientist. "Go back to your hidden lab, Vexen," she rolled her eyes.

Roxas stopped listening to the leaders quarrel amongst themselves. He willed his cerulean eyes to take everything in. Everything was… normal. It was as if they were in another dimension from the chaos they were previously in. Roxas had been to the outside of the stream of life once and it looked exactly like before. The area was silent and quiet. The silence was comforting and relaxing. The faint sound of running water could be heard in the distant, as if lulling its inhabitants—lulling the dead to sleep, giving them peace and slumber until it was time for their revival, for their reincarnation. Vaguely, Roxas could hear beautiful singing, somewhere… somewhere in the area… somewhere either outside or inside of the stream of life. It was such beautiful singing, comforting… the angel started to hum, humming softly, soft enough for Axel to hear.

"The angel is falling asleep," Marluxia informed amidst Larxene and Vexen's quarrel.

Larxene immediately snapped. "He can't fall asleep here," she exclaimed.

"The song of the dead…" Vexen muttered under his breath. "Celestians are known to be very vulnerable to it."

Roxas continued humming, slowly closing his eyes in the peace, tempted to go into his deep slumber again, similar to the time when he was enveloped in darkness, only this time, he was in the King's strong arms. Axel's eyes widened and he immediately shook Roxas awake, purposefully gripping the angel, making sure that he was touching Roxas' burns and wounds.

Roxas jolted, shifting, and trashing painfully, hissing, shutting his eyes tight. His head was throbbing violently due to the pain that seemed to be rushing everywhere through his veins, jolting every system inside his lithe body up. His blood was pumping faster as the pain increased. "Nghh, Axel…" he moaned, moving and trying to place himself in a better position where his wounds would be untouched. He hid his face in Axel's chest and he was again, ruled into slumber as he inhaled the King's even more comforting scent.

Axel narrowed his eyes. "Wake up, Celestian," he spoke, voice deep, dark, and demanding. He then walked away, passing the leader of the Lilims that was blocking the way.

"My King," Larxene smirked. "If you still need the candle and the drug, I'll have Vexen prepare it for you in no time."

Axel released a small chuckle, not answering Larxene's offer. "I give you three the authority to command every underling and take care of the mess for today. If you need the Singers to heal your wounds, summon them," he commanded.

"Would you need Singers summoned to your room, my Lord?" Marluxia asked obediently; face brightening due to the fact that he had been given an authority.

"Very well."

"Have fun, My King!" the Lilim waved and giggled, as if knowing what was going to happen after that.

Marluxia smirked. "You lust-driven Lilim," he commented smartly.

Larxene laughed brightly, flying over to the leader of the Grim Reapers. "Marly, I'll give you your share and of course, our scientist here will also get a new experiment to work on."

Vexen laughed darkly.

--

The King returned to his chamber, making sure that Roxas didn't fall asleep in the process. _"Don't go to sleep, Roxas,_" Axel's voice kept ringing and resounding in the blond's head. The angel tried all his power to prevent sleep from overwhelming him. He shifted around in the King's arms, feeling every single sting of pain that rushed through him, as if he was stabbed by thousands of swords all at once.

The King settled the blond down on the bed as gently as he could, laying the little body on his back. He smirked when he was reminded of how he had treated the angel since the first time he arrived to the Underworld as an intruder for thousands of years since his last visit.

Roxas' eyes were half-lidded. His darkened orbs eyed those of the King's, clouded in pain. He bit his lower lip, moaning. "What was that…? I feel…"

"Like you want to sleep?" Axel completed the sentence, seeing as how the Celestian was having a hard time talking or even breathing. "That's the Song of the Dead. The singers are the ones that are assigned there, singing and singing until they couldn't sing anymore. Their task is to calm the dead, giving them slumber until it was time for their reincarnation. The inhabitants of the Underworld are immune to the song while outsiders would be immediately ruled to their eternal slumber."

"The same theory as the Harmony of the Sky?" Roxas said shakily, smiling.

"You could say that, but there is no song in this world that is as strong as the Harmony of the Sky," Axel answered calmly, sitting down slowly at Roxas' side.

"And the effects are different," the blond laughed lightly.

Shyly, Roxas touched the King's hand, asking for a simple affection. The King grinned, knowing exactly what the blond wanted. Roxas smiled softly when Axel took his hand. He could feel the warmth of the King's big hand, rubbing his hand softly and comfortingly with a thumb. He sighed, enjoying the touch. "Thanks," he mumbled under his breath.

"For what? Giving you an ego-boost?" Axel replied cockily.

Roxas closed his eyes. "You could say that," he paused. "And…" trailing off, he continued, "I'm sorry and I hate you."

"For?" Axel raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"Sorry that I always make you promise something that you couldn't keep. Hate you that you've kept the promise really well. You're a heartless king," Roxas commented.

"Pretend that we don't know each other the next time we meet," Axel mumbled, as if reminiscing. "Promise that you'll treat me cruelly…maybe God would eventually let us off for that," he muttered on.

"God…has his way of making us forget…right?" Roxas shifted his eyes from the King, looking to the corner of the room with darkened expression.

Axel merely nodded, not saying anything, letting the silence continued on.

"He slowly cut off our memories of one another… and I know for sure that… it's Naminé…" Roxas muttered. "That's why for the very first time I met you again… even though I remember you, I don't really feel love at all…"

A pause again.

"Roxas, I'm going to wage another war," Axel stated, voice dark and thoughtful.

The angel raised his head, making eye contact with Axel. They stared at each other in silence. "It'll happen eventually, right? Axel…God is…"

"I'm going to wage the war no matter what. Aerith has been too kind, but all she has been doing is not enough. She believed that God would come to understand and change. She could never understand what we're going through."

Roxas smiled, wanting to drop the topic. "I'll go to the war with you."

"Angels should stay inside," Axel smirked.

"Is the King flirting?"

"Only with a certain Angel."

Roxas laughed.

--

Soon after that, soft knocks could be heard coming from the door. The room was silent, both the King and the Angel were merely staring at one another, longing for each other, but were motionless. Roxas' cerulean eyes were painted in pain and those of happiness, while Axel's was of worry. "I'll be alright," the blond silently whispered, as if knowing what the King of the Underworld was thinking. He smirked softly and weakly. "That must be the door, go get it, King," he laughed, trying his very best to look alright in front of Axel. His wounds were stinging. It was a miracle that he was able to smile or even laugh in that horrible condition. He was bleeding all over, but went slightly unnoticed because he was lying on the crimson covered bed. But of course, nothing went unnoticed by the King's watchful eyes, even more so when it was concerning a certain angel.

Axel watched for a while more. "Don't get cocky, Celestian," he smirked, indicating that he was not at all serious.

Roxas decided to be a tease about it and purred. "Oh, I won't, my King." When the angel was about to say something more, still keeping the lustful grin in his face, he suddenly coughed out blood. Axel was definitely worried, but he managed to keep his calm.

"Come in," the redhead ordered.

Two beings stepped into the room. Both were women, their skin were pale blue, their eyes were blank—white as snow, they had scales covering their bodies as if they were mermaids, but they had legs like humans. They had long white hair that went down to their waists, reaching their legs. Their white hairs were slightly curly to the side, yet they were straight in the middle. They weren't wearing any clothes, stepping into the King's room naked, but most of their body parts were covered by pale-blue fish scales. Axel didn't even take interest in them. He eyed them, knowing that the Singers were blind.

They were silent, standing in front of where the King was sitting and where the blond was resting. Roxas eyed the beings…the so called "Singers" that were able to sing the Song of Death and lull their audiences to sleep. If Roxas were to learn the dark side of using his voice back then, there was no doubt that he would have ended up in the Underworld, forced to sing to the dead for the rest of his life, making sure that everything in the Stream of Life functioned properly. He wondered slightly if that was a life that he would have wanted. He coughed again later, feeling the blood rushing out from his throat, feeling his heart and lungs clenching together, tighter and tighter—so tight that he couldn't even breathe. The angel hyperventilated.

A Singer immediately sang without even waiting for the King's permission. The smooth and soothing voice eased in, ringing in the dark room, soon followed by the other Singer. Their beautiful, high toned voice echoed and rang. Axel scooted closer to the angel's side, holding the lithe blond so that his head was resting on his lap. Roxas calmed down when he heard the song, his breathe was leveled again, but his eyes were shut in pain, frowning, and scrunching his face, indicating that he was trying his best to hold back his screams.

Axel watched, his expression showed that he was also hurt seeing the angel in pain. He dragged his hand to the blond's head, messaging the scalp gently. He used his other hand to draw little circles on the blond's stomach, trying his best to soothe the pain the angel had to suffer through. Roxas shifted and trashed in the King's arms, arching and bending as the Singers kept singing the song.

Axel knew the meaning of the song the Singers were singing. It was an ancient song and as a King, he had learned the ancient tongue of the Underworld. It was a song intended to bind a soul with its body, forcing recovery to a maximum rate, taking every cells of the injured one and blending them forcefully, pumping every last drop of blood, accelerating the body system, and urging them into cooperating.

Roxas twisted, face paled, eyes shut tight, never opening, "Axel!" he screamed, gritting his teeth together.

"It will be okay," the King mumbled gently.

"Ax…" the blond panted. His wounds were slowly recovering and closing. Every wounds and injuries that he had in his body miraculously vanished, leaving only scars and marks.

After singing the last note, the Singers closed their mouth, pursing their lips, causing the area to be enveloped in silence.

"You may go," Axel said, knowing that the ritual was over.

The Singers nodded and bowed respectfully before stepping out of the room, disappearing, and closing the door.

Roxas had calmed down considerably, opening his eyes slowly to look at the King. "Sorry," he muttered under his unleveled breathes.

Axel didn't say anything.

"I shouldn't have made so much noise," he laughed weakly, closing his eyes, ready to go to sleep. "Wake me up…if you need me…" he muttered on, going to slumber completely.

Axel smiled. "Good night, angel."

--

The blond stirred a while later, feeling fully re-energized, not knowing exactly how long he had slept. His eyes fluttered open slowly—everything was still blurry before him. The room was now well-lit. The torches in the room were lit up, shining and burning eternally, beautifully. Roxas watched the flame before him, waiting until the blurs were gone before he dared to sit up, fearing that he would be overwhelmed by severe head-ache if he attempted anything in his recovering state. He shook his head lightly, putting a hand on his temple, preparing himself for the migraine that would attack him. Several seconds passed and everything was normal. He smiled, relieved that there was no pain anymore.

Turning his head slowly, he noticed that there was another body on the bed, a very familiar figure that belonged to nobody other than the King. He chuckled. It was very rare to see the sleeping form of the King. Axel might be a King, but he was really no different than the man that he first met thousands of years ago. Axel's face was peaceful, almost too peaceful. His teardrop tattoos on his cheek drew out the color of his face and his bright red hair was illuminated by the shine of the flames. Roxas took a deep breath, fascinated by the sleeping form of the redhead. With much effort, he shifted his attention.

Pulling up the sleeves of his clothing, he checked whether or not there were still any injuries. There was none. Scars could be seen, but that was it. Then, he noticed that his attires had been changed. It was a nice long black see-through black gown with red-laces tied into a small ribbon in his waist. He narrowed his eyes. Why was he wearing a gown? The gown was extremely thin and silky. He felt exposed. Then, he released a soft sigh, knowing that Axel was toying with him. He lifted the gown, checking his abdomen, tracing a line. The wounds had vanished… Afterwards, he blushed automatically when he found out that he wasn't wearing _anything_ at all underneath that twisted excuse of a short dress. He was ready to pull that piece of attire down to cover himself. However, before he could do so, a pair of hands was already preventing him.

He yelped and shrieked loudly when he suddenly felt a pair of warm, yet at the same time hot hands rested on his waist, hugging him from behind. He blushed wildly, breathe slightly hitching, trying his best to ignore the pair of hands. He slowly contemplated the fact that merely a pair of hands touching him could give him so much emotion. "Axel…" he moaned. The angel didn't mean to moan, but his voice came out as that, low and shaky, panting harshly as if they were already engaged in some tiring activity.

Axel smirked, slowly sneaking his way to Roxas, shifting on the bed. He leaned forward, one of his hands moving away from Roxas' waist and putting it on the blond's shoulder. Sensually sliding down the Celestian's black gown, he let his eyes devour the sight that was his skin- pale, delicate, and unblemished. He swallowed. Roxas' revealed delicate skin was enough to shatter the King's wall of calmness and cockiness.

Roxas tried to pull away, but Axel's arm was too strong for him. He blushed even brighter, tilting his head to the side, feeling tickled, shivering from Axel's small ministrations. He glued his shoulder and his neck together shakily, wanting Axel to stop touching him, yet at the same time wanting more of the touch.

Axel grinned even more, chuckling darkly near the angel's ears, trying desperately not to let his own "wall" shatter. He breathed hotly into the delicate little ears that were covered by the blond's golden locks. "Good morning," he whispered sensually, low and dark, enough to make the blond squirm under the voice.

The angel shivered beneath the voice and the sensual touch. He felt as if his senses had been increased ten-folds and he couldn't help but moan slightly at the comfort and the tension that was overwhelming his whole being. "A…Axel…" he breathed shakily, immediately using his hands to stop the King's.

Axel snickered; Roxas' hand was definitely not strong enough to stop his, especially when he had gotten the angel in that state. His arm at the blond's waist tightened even more, pulling the lithe blond in so that their body met. He slowly slid his hands up the silky gown, feeling the pale angel's skin, taking in every last breathes and moans that he elicited from the blond. He missed the angel's voice. He missed the time when the angel used to sing for him and for him only…but now, the angel had lost his "voice". Nevertheless, Axel still had the same unfaltering emotions for the blond—not because he was an angel, not because he used to have a beautiful voice, not simply because they had went through a lot. It was the simplest answer… it was because he was _Roxas_ and that was enough.

Roxas yelped, trying his best to struggle and squirm his way out of the King's touch, but his body betrayed him—he snuggled and leaned into the touch instead. "Roxas…" Axel hissed, pulling the blond in even more, never wanting to lose the touch. Roxas complied, finally giving in, moaning when Axel was drawing small circles near his nipples.

The King positioned himself near Roxas' neck, biting down hard when he was in range. Roxas cried, feeling the fangs going into his skin, drawing thick, crimson liquid out. He moaned at the pain, it felt so wrong, yet at the same time, it felt so right. Axel sucked at the bite, drawing even more blood out, savoring the sweet taste of the liquid that came out of Roxas' body. It tasted wonderful. The blond tilted his head to the side to give Axel even more access, silently permitting the King to suck even more blood out of him. He didn't mind at all. He would give Axel everything.

Axel greedily complied, drinking the blond's blood, stopping while later when Roxas was sweating and panting. Without having to ask, he already knew that the King was worried about his well-being.

Roxas sneaked his hands to his back, tilting his head in a way so that his lips and Axel could meet. He yanked on the King's long strands of hair and crushed their lips together. Axel smiled into the kiss, leaning in happily. The blond slowly shifted so that he could face the redhead more, his hand was still tangled in Axel's wild-hair and his other hand was gripping Axel's hand that rested on his waist.

He could feel his breath slowly hitching as the kiss deepened. Axel's tongue slowly darted out to lick teasingly at Roxas' lips. Roxas moaned at the touch—the muscle felt so hot against his cold lips. Expecting and eagerly waiting for what was about to come, he breathed, moaning, and parting his lips, allowing entrance to the intruding pink-muscle. He took the tongue in willingly, allowing it to roam around every crevices of his mouth, enjoying the tingling senses and the jolts of tickles that were sent to his nerves.

He blushed. The sudden change of temperature was amazing. Wasn't it really cold just now? Now, he could feel his whole body burning up and it was boiling even more with every touch and attention that Axel gave him. "Axel…" he groaned to the kiss.

Axel gently pushed Roxas down on the bed, pressing his hand against the small blond's chest, laying him so that he was on top with the Celestian's back flat on the crimson bed. He paused for a while, pulling back a bit. Roxas whimpered at the loss of contact, staring at the King's eyes with his lusty and clouded cerulean. It was all blurry, but he could see the King's every single line and trace that shaped the amazing form before him.

Axel stared at the angel that lay before him, taking in everything carefully with his predatory emerald eyes. He knew that his body was begging and urging him to rush in to attack, attack and just let his lust took over. He refused the urge. Even though he was sure that lust would blind him at some point, at least, when he still had control over it, he would take things slowly, slowly, ever so slowly—just to please Roxas. Roxas was the only one worthy of his affection and attention. Roxas was the only one who could rouse him so. He was the only one person that was able to show him the meaning of happiness—actually _showing_ not _telling_.

Roxas noticed the silence and the King's stare at him. Lazily, he dragged his hand, reaching up to cup the redhead's cheek, smiling kindly and gently. He grinned an innocent and slightly devilish grin afterwards. "No drugs and candles this time… okay?" he tilted his head to the side, asking for a permission and agreement more than anything. His voice and speech was slightly slurred, feeling some really weird, yet pleasuring sensation churning in his stomach.

Axel smirked and nodded. "Yeah."

The lower body part of the Celestian's was bare. His short, black gown had been pulled up to his chest, leaving his lower part naked. He blushed when he noticed, retracting his hand but was soon trapped by Axel's bigger one. He tried to hide his face, but was prevented by Axel's other hand.

"Look at me, Roxas," Axel voiced, his tone was strangely gentle and soft. "You are beautiful. You are the most beautiful being I've ever known," the King cooed, leaning in to whisper in the blond's ears. "You're _my_ angel."

Roxas moaned at the tone, swallowing hardly, already feeling very much aroused and needed very much attention on the neglected part of his body.

Axel smirked and decided to tease his blond, licking sensually at the ear that was only a hair away from his lips. He started to nibble and suck gently at the lobe of the ear, releasing with a strange resounding 'pop' that sounded strangely arousing more than anything.

"M…My King…" the Celestian breathe, arching into the touch, feeling the redhead grinding at him.

The King immediately noticed the building erection of the angel. He sneaked his hand down and wrapped Roxas, then he started pumping, gently and slowly, fearing that he would break the angel apart if he had done it like how he did before, holding in the building urge to see, smell, and taste Roxas' blood. Roxas jerked upward, following Axel's motion as he felt the warmth around him. He screamed silently, gripping the cover of the bed, enjoying the sensation that Axel was able to send him. "Axel… I…" he gasped, swallowing hard, feeling his whole being burning under the touch. He could feel Axel closing in on him and giving him a soft peck on the lips. He moaned even more as Axel kept giving him the attention that he needed.

"Enjoying it?" Axel murmured silently, smirking, and pausing.

Roxas whined, panting as he lost the contact. "Y…yes…" he answered breathily, eyes unable to stay focus into whatever or whoever he was looking at. Axel smirked as he felt white liquid coming out from the tip of Roxas' length, dripping down to his hand.

Unable to contain his desire, Roxas shakily sneaked his arms around Axel's neck, pulling the King down forcefully, blushing heavily, and starting to kiss the redhead fervently. He sneaked his tongue out, wanting Axel to give him more attention. He didn't know what was happening to him. He knew very well that he should not acted that way, but he made a lot of noise…panting, shaking, whimpering, shivering, moaning, screaming, pleading, and begging… all the noises that he knew God detested hearing from any angel but him. He had let his lust taken control over his body and strangely, he didn't care a single bit about it. He was too busy and the emotions he was feeling felt more like bliss than sin.

"Roxas." Axel groaned, pulling away from the kiss.

Roxas tilted his head to the side, questions and confusion sprang up to his head.

The redhead cackled lightly before leaning down, holding Roxas' thighs, pulling the angel's leg apart slightly, and taking Roxas fully into his mouth.

Roxas jerked and arched. "Nghhh, Axel!"

"Scream for me, Roxas," the King commanded, licking and sucking on Roxas' length teasingly. He was quite pleasured to be able to elicit such reactions from the blond. Roxas' expression was priceless and he would love to do it further, just to see Roxas' reaction, just to hear Roxas' moans of pleasure, just to give Roxas happiness and forget about everything—even if it was only temporarily.

Axel kept licking on the tip of Roxas' length, playing skillfully. Again, he took Roxas fully into his mouth and started sucking and nibbling, applying small pressures, groaning when he heard Roxas' beautiful mewling noises. "Don…Don't stop…" the Celestian begged. "I'm going to…" he panted even more, sweating, shutting his eyes tight, grabbing onto anything that his hands could reach, trying his very best not to make Axel gag by moving a lot.

With several licking and sucking, soon, Roxas came directly into Axel's mouth. Axel swallowed Roxas' cum calmly, licking his lips slowly as he was done. Roxas merely watched in a slight disbelieve, couldn't really taking in the sight of the King of the Underworld…had actually willingly swallowed his cum. His heart beat even faster as he watched every single motion of the redhead's movements. His breathing was uneven and he doubted that he would be able to level it to normal anytime soon. His pants kept increasing in pace as the King carefully licked the tip of his length clean.

"King…" he called out shakily, contemplating on whether or not he should stop the King from doing anything like that. "I… You…" he shook his head, holding back his blush, swallowing his embarrassments. "You… the…" he was incapable of forming any coherent speech. He then bit his lower lips, grinning suddenly. "How does it taste?" he asked seductively, smiling comfortably.

He sat up, even though everything was still slightly hazy from the burst of pleasure that had just rushed in into his being. He took Axel's hand, gripping it softly, staring at the cum that stained the redhead's beautiful fingers. Licking his dried lips slowly, he darted his tongue out uncertainly, smiling all the while.

Axel watched, holding back his smirk, interested in watching what the blond was going to do even though he had already known.

Shyly, the angel licked the tip of Axel's fingers, slowly. He retracted his tongue, tasting his own cum, and swallowing. Looking up at the emerald eyes before him, he then licked the rest of Axel's finger, occasionally sucking them and releasing each finger with a resounding 'pop'. He swallowed again.

Axel groaned at the actions. "You little angel," he chuckled darkly, sounding very much amused. Before he could pin Roxas down, Roxas had already taken the initiative and jumped on the King's body. He pushed the taller redhead down with all his might, grinning happily, straddling the King purposefully, eliciting grunts from the redhead. He sat on Axel's abdomen, staring down at the figure he loved so much before him. He felt a trickle of sweat rolled down from his forehead to Axel's chest. His heart was beating rapidly, filled with excitement and longing.

Roxas' hand slowly traced Axel's broad chest, yanking open the buttons of the King's shirt. The King seemed to have changed his clothes too, wearing a really thin human shirt, as if all of what was happening had been planned. The blond laughed, successfully opening Axel's shirt. "Say bye," he teased.

Axel smirked, sliding out of his shirt, which was then taken by Roxas and was tossed uncaringly on the floor. The redhead smirked even more as he ripped apart the blond's extremely thin attire. Roxas yelped slightly then he grew ignorant, leaning in to catch Axel's lips in a kiss. "I'm yours," the angel moaned into the kiss.

"You belong to me only," Axel replied, becoming possessive, sliding his tongue into the parted lips. Axel circled his arms around Roxas' waist, jerking the blond to his body so that every single inch of their skin met.

Roxas smiled, complying happily. His hands reached to the lower part of the King's body, pulling down the zipper of the pants, teasingly rubbing the erection that had formed there. Axel grunted and Roxas yanked the pants down even though his body was still glued to Axel's. Axel kicked the pants off. The two beings were naked, the two God's beautiful creation…

Axel brought his fingers to Roxas' mouth. "Suck," he spoke casually.

Roxas complied, taking three digits into his mouth greedily, wetting the fingers, sucking, and licking. Thin traces of saliva could be seen running down the corner of his mouth and soon, the fingers glistened, coated in Roxas' saliva. Axel took his fingers away.

Roxas gasped and shuddered when he felt a long, slender digit intruding him. Tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. Axel used his other hand to hold Roxas' head so that their lips wouldn't disconnect, distracting the Celestian from the pain that would soon be taken over by the overwhelming pleasure.

The blond bucked into the finger when he had fully gotten used to the feeling of being intrude. He moaned, thrusting himself into the digits even more as Axel inserted the second and then the third. He pulled away from the kiss almost immediately, crying when he felt a sudden burst of pleasure jolting into him. Axel held the blond in place, pulling out and pushing in his digits, making a scissoring motion, intentionally missing and then hitting Roxas' spot that he had already located.

Roxas jerked, gripping onto Axel's shoulder. Pre-cum was already slicking out of the tip of his length, dripping down Axel's stomach. He clawed into Axel's shoulder as he felt the digits hitting his prostrate even harder.

Then it all stopped, when suddenly, Axel's digits went out of Roxas.

Roxas whimpered at the lost, slumping down and resting his head on the redhead's sweaty chest. The blond was already covered in sheen of sweat, his breathing was uneven ever since they started their little activity, and he couldn't miss a single beating of his own drumming heart. He felt alive and fulfilled.

Axel rolled around, positioning the both of them so he was on top again. Roxas expected this and he blushed wildly. He felt like his face had increased ten-folds in temperature. Shyly, he circled his legs around Axel's waist. Axel eagerly held the legs in place, pulling the leg even more apart. With a silent nod of confirmation from his angel, Axel thrust into lithe blond without showing any hint of hesitation.

Roxas cried, bucking up, biting his lower lip until it bled. He bit down his moan. "Scream, Roxas. Don't hold it in," Axel commanded, crushing his lips against Roxas' while groaning at the pleasure of being inside the blond.

"Axel!!!" the angel cried into the kiss, tears could be seen streaming out of the corner of his eyes, flowing down his cheeks slowly.

The King lovingly kissed the tears away, licking them, enjoying the salty taste of tears.

Roxas grunted, adjusting himself to the new feeling. Even though he had done this before, he couldn't help but feel like every time was as if a first time for him. The sense of Axel intruding him was always new. It was the same for the redhead. He grunted, feeling the tightness around him. The friction created with just a little motion that either of them made was overwhelming. Both the King and the angel were covered in sweat, panting, while at the same time, trying to smile, enjoying the feeling of being inside one another.

The tense atmosphere was very overwhelming that it took part in building up their pleasure.

Roxas bucked when he was ready, slowly moving. His hands were put at Axel's slender back. Their lips were connected. The redhead groaned as Roxas moved. Receiving the slight hint from the angel, he also moved, pulling out slowly and pushing in, watching out that he didn't take things too fast.

The blond grunted and whined. "Faster, Axel!" he yelled, clawing Axel's back, nails digging into the skin.

Axel hissed and smirked at the pain. He began to increase his pace, pushing in and pulling out, in and out, in and out of the lithe body. The friction that was created from that activity was enough to drive the King into seeing nothing but blurs. He kept increasing his pace.

"Roxas!" he shouted.

Roxas moved with the rhythm, following Axel's motion, bucking hard so that they could meet each other more with each loving thrust, so that Axel could go more inside of Roxas. Roxas' legs were shaky, but were still circled tightly around the King's waist.

Pants, moans, and screams of pleasure could be heard resounding across the room, echoing back and forth. The noises of lips crashing and of bodies crashing together, grunts, and groans filled their ears.

Roxas could feel the pain that had blended with the pleasure. He kept clawing and digging his nails into Axel's skin, drawing out blood. Axel groaned loudly, seeming to be pleasured by Roxas' action.

"A-Axel… I'm…!" Roxas shouted, knowing that he was already at his limit.

"Roxas!" Axel spoke, voice low and shaky.

Soon, the angel came for the second time. His seeds shoot out of the tip of his length into Axel's abdomen. He felt his whole body went limp and he panted, but then he moaned again as Axel kept thrusting into him. He gathered up his energy to fulfill the King, tightening his legs around the King's waist, and following the rhythm, meeting Axel's every thrust.

Soon, the King came, filling the Celestian with his seed. Roxas breathed faster. "Axel… I… I love you…" the blond whispered silently, out of breath.

Axel smirked, also panting. "You're my angel," he hissed, pulling out of the angel and lying beside the little body. Roxas could feel his whole body shaking and his stomach tingling. The sensation kept assaulting him even though their activity had stopped. Sighing, he shifted and snuggled into Axel's body, pulling the bed-cover on both of them lazily. Axel received Roxas eagerly, hugging the blond tightly, inhaling the sweaty scent of Roxas' golden locks.

The both stayed like that for a while in silence, not saying anything, enjoying the comfort of being in one another's warmth. They leveled their breathing and stopped sweating.

Roxas was tempted to go into sleep, but he didn't want to. He wanted to be conscious. He wanted to be aware that he was in his beloved redhead's embrace. He wanted to be always aware of the fact that they were there with each other, touching…just merely touching was enough… merely being able to _feel_ each other, no matter what. He enjoyed, he enjoyed it so much more than he should or could ever imagine.

Roxas released a deep breath, "Axel…" he whispered, loving the name. "Axel…" he called again, playing with the strands of Axel's red hair, looking up slowly with his half-lidded orbs.

"Yes, angel?"

Roxas grinned. "Call me Roxas."

"Roxas," the King smirked, nodding, also playing with the golden locks.

There was another silence and they didn't mind being enveloped in the serenity.

"Roxas?" it was the redhead's turn to call out.

"Yes?" Roxas answered lazily, placing his face in Axel's sweaty chest, enjoying the sweet scent.

"Do you want to stay…in the Underworld?" Axel's voice was always low and dark, but this time, it was filled with emotions…emotions that Roxas couldn't even begin to describe.

Roxas knew that his heart had skipped a bit, either it was because of fear, surprise, shock, or love. His heart skipped a bit. "W…" he opened his mouth to answer, but no voice came out. His breath and voice were stuck in his throat. He whimpered, then opened his mouth again. "What do you mean?" he asked shakily. No one knew if the voice was filled with excitement, happiness, or something else…

"Stay with me here. Stay…forever."

"Axel…"

"Be the Queen of the Underworld," Axel smiled, offering, actually sounding serious and neutral for once.

"What?" Roxas blinked, eyes widened, staring at the redhead quizzically. Suddenly, he didn't feel like going to sleep anymore. He was wide awake.

"Be my Queen," the King repeated.

Roxas blinked again. He bit his tongue, trying his best to prevent tears from rolling down. "I…" he shook his head in disbelieve.

"Marry me, Roxas." Axel stated boldly.

Roxas sobbed silently, hiding his face in the King's chest, biting his lower lips, shaking, pursing his lips together. None of what he was doing was sufficient in keeping those tears in.

"Marry me," the redhead repeated, pulling away from the hug a bit to put a hand on Roxas' chin and lifted that frail, but beautiful face. His emerald eyes bore into Roxas', staring with the gentlest expression the blond had ever seen coming from the redhead. Roxas stared back, lips curving down in such a way that he couldn't force himself to smile even though he felt intense happiness attacking him like never before.

Roxas narrowed his eyes, welling up in tears. "Are you…marry you?" he asked, shaking his head as if he had heard something wrong. There was almost no voice in his speech, only soft breathing.

"I should have proposed thousands of years ago. I don't want to lose the chance again," Axel explained. "I don't want to lose you again." He hugged the blond closed, crushing the lithe angel in his embrace.

"I… don't want to…" Roxas paused, swallowing, breathe hitching. "too…" his speech was incoherent, mirroring Axel's action by sneaking his arms around the figure before him and hugging close and tight with all the energy left in him.

"Be mine, Roxas. I will vanquish God. I will and I will protect you."

"Be yours," the angel mumbled.

"Be mine," the redhead repeated.

"I love you, Axel… I love you…" the blond nodded. "Yes…" he whispered silently, leaning up to seal his words with a soft, innocent kiss that was deepened by the King.

They parted soon afterwards, out of breath, but their lips were still glued to one another's. They could feel each other's breathing.

"I'll be your Queen," Roxas whispered, lips and eye contact never disconnecting.

Axel grinned, the sincerest grin that had ever graced his face for thousands of years.

"My King…" the blond smiled.

Axel wiped off the tears that stained the blond's cheek with his thumb gently. Roxas' tears kept rolling down his cheek. Were they tears of happiness?... the blond wasn't quite sure, but he knew that he was happy. He was going to become one with the King. They were going to be bounded together and be seen as one. "It will be a huge marriage… the largest one that has ever taken place in the Underworld," Axel smirked his cocky smirk. He laughed. "You'll look great in a wedding dress."

Roxas rolled his eyes, pouting slightly at Axel's tease, still crying happily. He hit Axel's chest lightly. "Moron," he mumbled.

"You Celestians are forbidden to speak of the King in such a way," Axel held back his grin, speaking in his mock grim, dark voice.

Roxas chuckled happily. "Yeah, moron. Thanks," he laughed lightly.

"You're welcome, angel."

And with that, there was another silence. Both didn't say anything and soon, they were lured into their slumber. Axel was the one who gave into slumbert first and Roxas observed the sleeping face of the King. His face grimaced. He nibbled on his upper lip. "Axel…you know that I love you, right?" he whispered shakily before closing his eyes, willingly going to sleep.

A wedding—a ceremony that would bind two souls together, forever, as long as eternity holds.

--

THE END!!! :D :D just kidding~

Why the fast update? Because if I don't update today, I won't be able to update until Monday. Why? Internet died on me, so I can only go online at school. Hence, no online-ing on weekend. So… hope you like fast and long chapter update. =D I'm already curious to know what you guys will think of this… o.o

This is unbeta-ed… because I don't wanna it to be beta-ed…. Believe it or not… I have really low self-esteem. If I send this to beta and the beta told me to correct this or that part (this is for lemons only), I might ended up not submitting this chapter at all… or…. Any kinds of lemons…because, really, when concerning writing lemons… o.o I'm very very sensitive since I'm a real newbie… I know! I know it sucks!!! I know I'm not good at writing a piece like this! So please… please… don't crush me down even more. =DDD hehee. So, anyway, hope you enjoyed! I think I went a little overboard here. Is it "special"??? or… is it too sudden… o.o D; :D heh. I have my plot~ Thank you!!! LOVE~

With all that, I drew several sketches on AkuRoku in my DA profile, feel free to check them out. heh. okay, I'm off before I get more annoying~ :D

-terra hotaru


	12. Sweet and Soft

**Special Thanks: **to **illbewaiting **on dA who had drew me an art for this (look at end note) and my friend.

I really appreciate all the reviews! Sorry for the late update. And without further ado…

Enjoy!

**Chapter 12**

**Sweet and Soft**

Roxas woke up earlier than he should the morning after. His eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the lights that shone his face. He blinked a couple of times before his vision came into focus. Taking a slow breath, willing himself not to fall back to sleep, he bit his upper lip, slowly stretching his arms. However, he couldn't seem to do so since he was held very tight, by a very familiar and loving figure. He smiled when he noticed that the King was still by his side. He had expected Axel to be gone in the morning like what happened before…but this time, when he woke up, the redhead was still there…sleeping…a peaceful form that Roxas would never imagine ever catching a sight of from the King.

He breathed evenly, watching in silence, having no desire to jolt the man before him from his slumber. He chuckled softly and dryly after a while. "…I have the Keyblade, but I have no power to stop time. Even though you're the King of the Underworld, I doubt you are able to do that," he whispered, still watching the King with an expression so soft that even a slight breeze could tear the expression apart, breaking it so that it would never be seen again.

He took in a deep breath, smiling softly all the while. "Wedding," he whispered softly, slowly dreading over the fact that he would be the _Queen_. Why should he be the Queen? He pouted slightly. If anything, Axel should be the one to be the Queen, right?

He looked over to the King's slumbering face, chuckling when he let his imagination run wild. Seeing the King…Axel, the God of the Underworld, dressed up in a curly and fluffy dress would be quite hilarious. He finally came to an agreement with his conscience that he would be the Queen…instead of Axel. Then…the angel's smile suddenly disappeared, vanished into the void, and his expression grimaced. "It will be…a great one…" he sighed and swallowed, eyes half lidded, expression cold and blank while forcing himself to smile.

He tried to laugh, glad that it came out natural. He surely had learned a thing or two from Sora. "I'll enjoy it while it lasts," he whispered again.

--

Riku decided to follow the blonde angel. He looked around cautiously, careful and on the lookout if any harm would come to him. He doubted that he would be able to get through the barrier that led to God's chamber, but he still followed Naminé. The girl kept on walking, moving forward step by step on her bare feet. Her wings were kept hidden in her back.

Riku knew exactly where the barrier was and he was ready for the pain that would assault him as he was about to get through. He had tried to get through before and he suffered severe injuries and wounds. Taking a deep breath, he step forward, watching as Naminé kept walking, unharmed.

He blinked a couple of times when nothing happened. No unseen force wounding him, nothing pulling him back and trying to end his life…nothing…no pain at all. It was normal. He lowered his head…still cautious, but then, he pressed forward as Naminé was already way ahead of him. Something was definitely wrong.

Was he finally able to…confront God?

--

Releasing a heavy sigh, the dark haired angel carried the dead body of the redhead angel. "I can't fail God… I can't fail God…" she continued to mumbled, chanting, muttering incoherently. "I can't fail God…" she continued while having Kairi in her hands. She had taken the breath and soul out of the redhead angel's whole being. But it was not yet enough. She must satisfy God. And there was one place that she should take Kairi to before she went to pursue Demyx. She must eradicate the existence of Kairi…_completely_…

Spreading out her wings in the heavy rain, she flew away; her blade was stabbed in Kairi's stomach. She decided to leave it there, leaving it as a proof to herself that she had fulfilled one of her tasks. It would be a while before she reached Celestia, flying in the heavy rain surely didn't help with anything.

"Chamber…of…Punishment…" she muttered under her breath.

--

"Wha…what?! But!!!" Roxas cried, protesting to the King's ridiculous idea. He didn't know what just happened, but he was suddenly summoned into the throne room after watching the King went out of the bedroom. And now, here he was, confronted with a nightmare of fear and doom.

"But what?" Axel smirked, grinning while sitting comfortably on his throne, looking lazily at the adorable angel. He rested his chin on his right hand.

Roxas pouted cutely. "Ridiculous. I will never be convinced to wear this… this… ridiculous outfit!" he cried again, pointing to the fluffy and lacy black gown that was made of define silk, the finest thread that could only be found in the Underworld, made of carefully chosen hairs and furs of every being. The dress was shiny and absolutely marvelous. Lilims would most definitely look gorgeous in it. However, it was clear that the blond angel was definitely not a Lilim or a _girl_ to boot.

_It was like an evening gown made of the softest hairs of something more magical than any human, underworlder, or even celestial could produce. The shoulders were puffed, not to look ridiculous, but to look elegant, as if in some old popular fashion of the past. The sleeves reached to his elbows, lacing off into thinner strands of braided lines that tied into a tassle-y, weblike, wing, connected together through thin, gray material, giving it a transparent look. It slimmed around his waist, giving him girlish, however not as womanly as Axel's, curves the bodacious looks of a sleek vixen, nearly as sharp and full as a lilim's. The slimmed bodice around his waist was decorated with the same transparent gray material, tailored in some areas to show parts of his abdomen, however; it cut off near his sides to make room for thin strands of red spider weaved silk that lined the crossings on his back, which made it loose, but form-fitting enough to look casual, elegant, and not in the slightest bit shoddy. The collar that extended into a v-neck was also lined with this red thread, as it weaved in and out around the whole collar and down the back of his back into the length of the dress. Shorter in the front, it had two slits on either side of him, and let the lacy fishnets that were worn underneath to be barely shown(but still shown, much to Roxas' chagrin), and the sleek ebony silk shone in rippling waves of the color, as it would move with every step and movement of the boy's hips. The back of the dresses length was much longer in its flowing aspects. It bunched up slightly around his butt, to make room for a more flowery swish with each step, as there were mixed lined patches of the gray fabric, and more red spider threads that gave it an illustriously vibrant flair. But, it was only the best for Roxas, the soon-to be queen of the underworld._

Why couldn't they just wear the clothes they were in and go through with the ceremony just like that? Things would be so much simpler. The King was wearing a nice comfortable looking tight black shirt with some armor at his shoulder and a see through crimson cape that reached the ground paired with simple pants…so very simple that Roxas doubted his eyes. Roxas was even simpler, a big oversized white-colored human shirt with moderate sized pants that reached his knees. Yeah… that would be such a _simple_ wedding.

"Oh, is that true now, Angel?" Axel's smirk grew wider if it was possible.

Roxas blushed pink as he hid his face in his shoulder, looking at everywhere but at the mesmerizing emerald in front of him. The dress was definitely beautiful, but he really didn't want to wear it. There was just no way that he would look good in the dress. The thought of him even wearing a dress was bizarre. Besides…

With a dark grin, the King stood up from his throne and stepped down the double stairs that held the throne up, approaching the blond that was obviously looking away from him. "Any protest?" he tried, standing in front of Roxas, but keeping his distance, as if able to read what was going on in the angel's mind.

"It's…too long…" Roxas whispered, hoping that it would at least change Axel's mind about putting him in a dress, especially the absurd dress that definitely showed his skin too much in some part. Especially the neckline and the wide open v-back…those made him squirm uncomfortably. He just wouldn't look good in such a dress. What if Axel suddenly hated him because he was not pretty?

Axel chukled softly, expression softened, watching the gorgeous angel's reaction closely. "Aren't wedding dresses supposed to be long?"

Roxas cheek reddened even more, feeling the blood rushing up to his face. He was definitely not comfortable. The King's pair of eyes staring down at him like certainly didn't help with anything. He bit his lower lip hard, looking back and forth between the suddenly very interesting floor and the King's expression. Then, he shook his head slowly as he started to back away. "No, I refuse to be put in that dress!" Roxas said shakily as he backed away. He was definitely not outraged or angry, simply scared that he would look ugly. What would the rest of the Underworld think? For the King to be married to…a horrible looking angel like him? That wouldn't be right.

"Hey, Roxas, we can always correct this." Axel suddenly snapped out of his Kingly behavior, approaching the blond carefully.

"No!" The blond cried as he ran away from the throne room, biting his upper lip now, hoping that the King wouldn't give chase.

"Roxas!"

Roxas could hear the King calling to him while he was running away. He didn't stop, not even pause. There was no way that he would let himself be caught and be forced to put on that dress. Running through the Room of Weaponry, he paused for a while to look around, panting, listening carefully for anyone that could be pursuing him. But it was silent. Sure, there were some dusks and phantoms roaming about in the area, but they did nothing. Roxas couldn't be too sure though. At this rate, he wouldn't be surprised to find out that the King had already dispatched the entire Underworld to bring him back to the throne room.

He gasped when he sensed a very familiar aura behind him. He turned a hundred and eighty degrees in a flash and then immediately dodged away. Right there, there was a dark portal, swirling around, and as he expected, the King came out in all his full glory…his hair was blindingly crimson as ever and the darkness from the portal further gave it a bloody color.

Roxas stared.

The King smirked.

"Roxas, try the dress out." Axel spoke casually.

"No!" Roxas rejected blatantly. "Don't come near," he hissed as he noticed that the King was getting closer and closer to him.

Axel chuckled, pretending that he didn't hear any of the angel's threat.

Roxas panicked, "I said _don't!_" he raised his index finger.

The redhead ignored him.

Roxas narrowed his eyes soon afterwards and summoned his oblivion, gripping the keyblade tight as a mean to protect himself. All the dusks and phantoms that were gathered in the room were immediately alerted and soon, grim reapers began entering the area, sensing threats to their King.

"Leave," Axel commanded.

"But, my Lord…"

"I command all of you to leave." Axel said in his low, dark tone, and his grin showed up soon after. "This is your future Queen of the Underworld. Announce this and let all beings know."

There were suddenly noises…mostly because of surprise. All movement stopped as if time froze. And there was silence. None of the beings that were gathered in the area moved. And suddenly, there was chattering.

"_The King is going to be wedded?"_

"_A ceremony?"_

"_After all these years?"_

"_After all these wars?"_

"_Is the King out of his mind?"_

"_I can smell Celestia from that kid."_

"_That kid isn't even a female."_

"_The King must be out of his mind."_

"Silence," the redhead hissed. He summoned pillars of fire to show his authority and power. "You doubt my decision?" he added.

Roxas was on his defense, ready if the servants and underlings decided to rebel against them.

"Yes, My King." The beings bowed their heads and went off, leaving the angel and the King alone in the room.

Then there was silence and a huge dark grin from the King.

Roxas shivered. "I won't hesitate to use the Keyblade." He threatened.

"I don't plan on using brute force," the redhead shrugged.

"Dress and no wedding." The angel countered firmly.

"But you'll look marvelous in the dress."

"No, just no." Roxas cried, frustrated.

"But you agreed the night before." Axel countered again.

"I didn't know that I would be put into a dress."

"You're lying." Axel chuckled. "That's not the only thing you're worried about."

Roxas stood straight, blinking. He stuck his tongue out playfully. "I just don't wanna," and he threw oblivion to the King's direction, running of again.

Axel laughed, dodging the keyblade that was thrown half-heartedly smoothly. "Roxas…" he shook his head, opening a portal to follow the blond.

--

He kept running even though he knew that all his effort was in vain. Silently, he cursed the fact that he didn't have any means of fast transportation like the portal. Axel was lucky to be able to travel through the darkness and teleport in the realm that contained darkness…and that meant, basically _everywhere_. Even though he was a Celestian, he had lost his wings a long time ago. He had no means to fly…he shook his head, trying to shake all the horrible memories of how he lost his wings away. Now wasn't the time to think about such things. He had to run away from the King.

He passed through the Hallway of Mirrors. Looking around, all he could see was his own reflection. He shivered a bit as he felt the wind suddenly blowing against him out of nowhere. He shuddered even more when he felt a soft hot breath near his neck and he moaned, yelping. "Gah!" he cried, immediately jumping away, holding his neck and ear that had apparently turned red out of their own free will.

"Playing run-away bride, Roxas?" Axel spoke cheerfully, smirking while holding the same position he was in.

Roxas was surprised that he didn't sense the King at all. He should have known that the redhead was standing behind him.

"This place isn't called the Hallway of Mirrors for nothing, you know." Axel explained.

"Huh?"

"The mirrors deflect and eat up any trace of auras, which was why you couldn't sense me just now. You angels depend too much upon your senses." Axel explained calmly, standing there, not even making an effort to approach the blond.

"I know that," Roxas pouted, crossing his arms, looking to the sides only to be met with his own reflections. It was creepy in a sense. There was tons of him…in any shape, reflected all around the area that was filled and enclosed with mirrors.

"Yeah?" Axel replied easily, tilting his head to the side, watching the angel closely.

"The thing I'm most surprised about is…who are you?" Roxas asked, blinking and narrowing his eyes at the same time.

Axel didn't answer, his expression showed one of amusement.

"I can't really tell whether you're the King or Axel."

"Aren't we all and the same?"

"Well, definitely not. I'm sure half of the Underworld would be surprised to hear you talking like this, not to mention Celestia."

"You told me to pretend. I'll put on a good act for you, Roxas. Now that we don't have to pretend anymore, why should I be a good actor?"

Roxas bit his lower lip. Axel was just so different than the person that he knew when he first arrived in the Underworld…but he was still the same Axel that he first met and knew.

"And…what's that…in your hands?" Roxas pointed, finally noticing the piece of offending garment that Axel was carrying.

"The dress for the runaway bride."

"I'm not even your bride yet?" Roxas answered uncertainly while backing away carefully. It was not long for him to find out that he was already backed against the wall of mirrors, looking back, he saw his own reflection and he plastered himself against the mirror wall as Axel continued to approach him.

"But you will," the redhead countered darkly, stepping closer and closer.

Roxas heart beat even faster with every resounding step that Axel made. He could feel his breath hitching in his throat and suddenly… he forgot all of his ability to summon Oblivion or even put his legs to co-operate with him.

There was a second of silence before Axel pulled the angel up. Roxas yelped, surprised that he was suddenly hefted up the ground. He clung on the King, afraid that he would fall down if he didn't do so. Out of fear, he sneaked his leg and circled them around the King's waist, wrapping his arms around the redhead's neck, eyes shut close, and head facing the floor, blushing wildly. "Let me off…" he whispered shakily.

"You're still as light as ever. God doesn't feed you well?" Axel smirked, amused with Roxas' reaction.

Playfully, Axel squeezed Roxas' bottom while still holding the angel tight. Roxas squeaked, face as red as Axel's hair.

"I wanna see you wearing the dress," Axel whispered.

"No." Roxas rejected almost immediately.

"And why is that?"

"It will destroy my pride," the Celestian provided shyly.

Axel drew his tongue out to lick at the blond's earlobe and travelling down to the delicious jawline while his hands continued to roam the small body in front of him, travelling everywhere within reach at the same time making sure that the blond stayed in place. "Dress or no?" Axel asked, smirking into the kisses, nibbling on Roxas' neck bone now.

Roxas bit his tongue in order to suppress his moans, trying his very best to level his breath. The touches that Axel gave him sent him all sort of tingling feelings and made the insides of his stomach squirm. He still grabbed on tightly as his legs began to tremble around the King's waist. "Marriage or dress?" Roxas countered though his voice wasn't as firm.

"Both." Axel answered.

"Pick one!" Roxas cried, frustrated.

"Can't. Both are highly suggestive"

Roxas blushed even more at the comment.

"Wear the dress, angel." Axel used his usual kingly tone. "Before I bite you," he added playfully.

Roxas breathed in shakily, protesting and squirming, pulling on the King's hair hard.

Axel hissed. "An act of violence against the king is prohibited." He announced, finally biting down hard on Roxas' neck, drawing out blood.

"Axel…" Roxas whispered. Thinking for a bit while his mind was hazy with pain and other mixture of emotions, he finally released a sigh. He opened his eyes a bit, everything was hazy, his mind was clouded with lust and he had lost his sense of judgment. In the mirror walls, he could see his own reflection.

"Looking sexy?" Axel purred, sucking Roxas' neck to draw out even more blood, licking around, not letting a single drop of delicious blood waste away.

Roxas moaned. He felt so hot under the touches and with the King so near… Axel smirked even more.

"I…I'll wear the dress, just let go of me."

"Good," Axel smirked, letting go and putting the blond down slowly.

Roxas was quite surprised…he thought that Axel would continue with his ministrations and tease him even further…even though he knew that Axel always kept his promise whenever possible. He huffed when his feet finally touched the ground, still a bit shaky and disoriented. His eyes wandered around cautiously, still seeking for a way to escape.

"Don't think about running." Axel said promptly.

Roxas sighed. "You can't expect me to…" he tried to reason.

"Yes I can."

"I can't…"

"Yes, you can."

"But…"

"But what?"

"Dresses are…"

"For girls? Who cares?"

"I wouldn't look good…" Roxas was expecting Axel to counter, but there was none. Waiting for a bit, he took in a deep breath as he continued, "in…it."

Axel chuckled under his breath. "That's the problem all along?"

"Well, of course! I mean…"

"How do you know if you haven't even tried?"

Roxas released a sigh. Axel got a point. "Give that to me…" he shot out his hand, waiting for Axel to throw the dress to him.

"You wouldn't shred it apart, would you?" the redhead smirked.

"Well, would I?" the angel pouted, snatching the dress away from Axel's hand. He blushed pink, burying his face in the soft fabric of the dress. Sighing, he finally looked up and eyed the person in front of him, face still flushed, gripping the dress tightly, glaring.

"Yeah?" Axel chuckled a bit, walking over to lean his back against the mirror-wall, standing elegantly on one of his legs, crossing his arms, his head lowered and his eyes were closed, showing an amused expression.

"Eh…" Roxas was perplexed. "Didn't you…want me to wear this…_thing_?" he asked uncertainly.

"Hum? Does my speech confuse you so?" Axel countered back easily.

Roxas shook his head slowly. Then he shrugged, walking away with the dress, but Axel immediately grabbed his wrist and gently pulled the angel close. "Where are you going?" the King whispered.

"Change?" Roxas answered, frustrated.

"And where are you going?"

"To find a place to change?" Roxas answered again, with a question.

"You can change here," Axel spoke easily, pulling the blond in closer, sneaking his arms around Roxas' waist, resting his chin on the small blond's shoulder, pulling him in more so that their body was flushed against each other's.

"What? No?" Roxas blushed again. Axel was demanding too much out of him; in fact, the redhead was behaving very weirdly.

"Do it for me?" Axel whispered gently…so gentle that Roxas shivered from the tone.

Roxas was hesitant. When Axel suddenly changed his behavior like that, he felt like he would do anything for him. However, his hesitation only lasted for a second as Axel already began to speak again.

"Or _I'll_ do it." The smirk on the King's face was apparent on his tone and Axel's reflection on the mirror clearly drew out his whole intention for the blond.

Roxas gasped and gulped. "I…I can do it by myself!" he cried out loudly, already aroused with the King's hand roaming all over his body. His stomach was fluttering and churning wildly as the King's long fingers slide through his sensitive skin, touching softly and gently here and there, sliding his shirt up until his stomach was exposed. Roxas was embarrassed immensely with the fact that he could see his own expression…see what he looked like when… Axel was touching him like that. He shut his eyes almost immediately to avoid scarring himself with the image.

The dress dropped gracefully to the floor as Roxas was too shaky to hold it anymore.

Axel roamed around cleverly. Without any difficulty, he successfully pulled Roxas' shirt off, leaving the blond half-naked. He pulled the boy flushed against him again and started to play at the hem of the blond's pants.

"Axel…" Roxas panted, trying to squirm and struggle away from the touches.

The King licked along the blond's jawline, giving gentle and loving caresses to the delicious blond in front of him. He gently laid Roxas down on the floor, slipping his knees to the blond's thigh, sliding the small legs apart.

"Axel!" Roxas cried, frustrated beyond all reasons.

Axel smirked, about ready to slide Roxas' pants off. However, he paused almost immediately and slammed down hard on Roxas' lithe body when he felt an additional weight behind him, tackling him violently. Roxas groaned as Axel landed straight on his stomach, near his growing urge. "Ooh, Your Majesty. You didn't invite me?" came a flirty and cheerful voice of a certain Lilim leader; her arms were circled around the King's neck while she put all her weight on the King's back.

The redhead groaned, quickly getting up so as not to crush the angel below him, while the Lilim leader was still glued to his back.

Roxas was still blushing heavily, panting and quickly sneaking away to the corner, hugging his knees close while covering his half-naked body with the dress that he grabbed along.

"Larxene…" Axel grumbled, putting a hand on his forehead, sitting cross-legged on the diamond covered floor.

"Yes, My King?" Larxene chirped innocently. "Doing bad things with the new Queen before the wedding, I see," she laughed. "Can't keep your hands off, huh, Axie?"

"Shut up, Larx." Axel grinned.

"I heard about the announcement. Seems like the whole Underworld are either fussing or happy about the happy news."

Roxas looked up from where he was, biting his lower lip, listening carefully.

"You lucky little Queen." Larxene smirked, finally letting go of the King and flew off to the blond. "Why aren't you wearing the dress? It's specially constructed for the Queen. We worked ourselves to death threading that dress, you know." The Lilim expressed.

"Death?" Roxas blinked, his expression showed one of worry.

"Well, several Lilims died in the process and then some knights and some ghouls while gathering the materials. Other than that, the others are fine. We worked overnight for this just for the King's satisfaction." She explained more, waving her arms around, indicating that it wasn't a big deal at all.

"All…for a dress?"

"All for you…" Larxene grinned darkly and she bowed her head, kneeling on the floor in front of the blond. "My Queen…" she muttered, showing her respect, keeping her head low.

Roxas gulped, frozen in place, watching. "Just… call me…Roxas…" he said, not comfortable with being called the Queen.

"Get used to it, Angel. Everyone will refer you as the Queen now." Axel said, standing from where he was sitting.

Roxas took in a deep breath, looking back and forth between the Lilim and his redhead, contemplating, perplexed, in doubt, crushed by confusion, overwhelmed by the dilemma. What should he…do?

--

Demyx blinked in panic, trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness around him. He could feel a presence behind him…Vincent was still with him even when they had been there for what seemed like a century long. He didn't like being in the dark, especially in a dark forest…silence…He could see the dead trees swayed by the wind, making silent, creepy noises. "Where are we? Why do you take me here?" he asked; he had asked the questions several times since they arrived, but he never got any answer from the man named Vincent. He shouldn't be there. Kairi…what was going to happen to Kairi? He had to go back to his house and save the angel. He had to!

But no matter how he struggled, he was incapable of getting away from that place. Vincent was holding him in place.

He didn't even know where he was. He was whisked away and he didn't know where. All of it happened so suddenly and almost immediately, he was already there.

"Just…tell me what are we doing he?" he sighed, hoping that Vincent would at least talk to him.

"Waiting," the red eyed man answered simply, his voice low and cold.

"Waiting for _what?_" the Mohawk blond sighed exasperatedly.

"Who." The black haired man corrected.

"Who?... Who are you?" Demyx shook his head. "You're from the Underworld, aren't you? Are you… Axel and Roxas?" he beamed, happy.

"No."

"Not them…?"

"There." Vincent said shortly, pointing to one area of the forest that was shined by the moonlight. Demyx narrowed his eyes in order to see more clearly. He saw someone… a shadow figure, appearing and disappearing around the trees and when he returned his sight to the area in front of him, he gasped loudly. There was a boy, standing so _close_ to him, their faces were merely centimeters apart.

"Demyx." Said a calm and flat voice.

It was a while before Demyx registered the person before him. "Zexion," he blinked.

"Xion is aiming for your life."

"I know that much," Demyx replied uncaringly.

"Then, you must return to the Underworld with us."

Demyx was silence. "No." he answered firmly. _No…not with Zexion there…_

"…" Zexion breathed in, well aware of the heavy atmosphere between the two of them.

"I will go track her down," Vincent said.

"No, you will also return to the Underworld," Zexion spoke.

"Reason?"

"The King is to be wedded."

Vincent's eyes went wide for a mili-second before his expression turned calm and cold again.

"Every being of the Underworld is already informed of the news. There is no confirmation as to when or where the wedding will be held."

"The King is going to…_what?!_" Demyx cried frustratedly. "To who?! What?! Why?! What about Roxas?!" he continued on while grabbing onto Zexion's shoulder, the heavy atmosphere between them disappeared almost immediately.

"The Queen is…Roxas." Zexion answered, grabbing Demyx's shoulder, indicating that he wanted the Mohawk blond to stop shaking him.

"Axel and Roxas are going to get…_MARRIED?!_ Are you _serious?!"_ Demyx chirped excitedly. "I can't believe this! They're going to?! Really?"

"Yes, Demyx." Zexion nodded, calm as ever.

"Finally, those two are going to be happy…" Demyx sighed. "After all these years…" he mumbled, smiling.

"I doubt it… I have a feeling Roxas is planning something…" Zexion spoke.

"That angel…" Vincent whispered. "Send my best regards and wishes to the King. I will go and track down that girl." Vincent went off in the shadow, immediately disappearing before waiting for any response.

Zexion watched. "Now, will you go to the Underworld?" he asked the blond.

"Yes. I can't wait to meet Axel and Roxas. …Hold on…Kairi…"

"There's nothing you can do. Vincent has told me all about it."

"Told you? But he…"

"The Ghouls and Whisperers relay our messages to one another."

"Oh…okay."

"Vincent will take care of the matter."

"Alright…" Demyx nodded.

--

Larxene smiled. "Yeah, you are officially the Queen now. News that goes around the Underworld is always considered the truth, no matter about the fact that ceremony isn't held yet."

Roxas stood up, still covering himself with the dress and nodded. "Alright."

"Now, I will have to take my leave," the Lilim spoke. "I still have other matters to attend to in preparation of the wedding." Bowing more to Roxas, she stood and flew away, out of the Hallways of Mirrors.

"Preparation? What are you planning?" Roxas asked, tilting his side to the redhead.

"It's a surprise." Axel answered easily.

Silence.

"Could you…turn away?" the blond asked and blushed. "I'm going to change…into this…" he whispered shyly, looking at everywhere but at the King and their reflections. However, there were their reflections everywhere. On the floor, on the walls, the roof… everywhere.

Axel smirked and turned his back to Roxas. Roxas was slightly taken aback that Axel actually complied to his wish this time. He turned his back towards the King too and slowly sliding off his pants. He could feel the cold wind against his bare skin. Halfway through, he began wondering why he took off his pants when he could just easily wear the dress without having to take it off, but he was already naked and bare.

The redhead could see the blond's reflection clearly in the mirror in front of him. Roxas was truly an angel. His skin was soft as silk, smooth, and delicious. His feature was perfect, every shape and every bend was perfect. His facial expression was delicate. The King loved every part of the angel. There was nothing and nobody in the three worlds as perfect as his angel.

His emerald eyes were wandering and watching closely. He finally turned, having no intention of merely watching reflections. His expression showed one of lust and amusement. Roxas certainly didn't notice that Axel was watching as he slid into the dress.

Axel walked over then and Roxas gulped.

"Axel?"

"Let me help," the King said gently. He pulled the zipper up and then leaned closer to sneak his arms around the blond's waist.

Roxas blushed red wildly. "Uhmm…"

Axel bent down and rested his chin on Roxas' shoulder. His eyes were gentle and half lidded. "Perfect," he said, looking at Roxas' reflection in the mirror wall in front of them. "Perfect."

Roxas smiled, mirroring Axel's soft and calm smile. "You think so?" he sighed, relieved.

"Yes." The king snuggled into Roxas' neck, inhaling the scent there.

The Celestian tilted his head to the side. "I still think…it's too long."

"Don't worry about that. I have a way to fix it."

Roxas smiled, satisfied with his own reflection in the mirror. He looked good in it. That was for sure. He felt even moreso when Axel said that. The dress was made especially for him. He didn't like the idea of wearing a dress, but for the King, he would do it.

Axel buried his face in Roxas' golden locks while still holding the lithe blond flushed against his body. "My angel."

"My King." Roxas smiled. Taking in a deep breath, he raised his head, looking to the ceiling of the Hallway of Mirrors, looking at his own expression that turned grim, blank, and cold. "Axel…" he whispered.

_Wedding…_

--

**READ THIS: **The description paragraph of the dress in italics is written for me by my friend.

**READ! **Also, illbewaiting on dA drew me an art of Roxas in his wedding dress. I've posted the link on my profile, feel free to take a look at it. It will give you more picturization for the next chapter. (: The drawing is AWESOME! Everyone should take a look at it. I still can't believe she drew it for me. It's so lovely! Thanks!

Well, this has certainly changed its course a bit, not permanently? Hope you enjoyed. I really appreciate all the reviews, faves, alerts, and c2s. Thanks!


	13. Pretending

Fast update! Hope you'll enjoy. And yes, I'm updating two times in a week since I'm so sorry for the month's delay and all that for the last chapter. I'm glad you all are looking forward to certain happenings in this fic. Nevertheless, I appreciate all the reviews. I'll get back to all of you as soon as possible. Thank you very much!

Enjoy!

_Pretending…pretending that we're happy, that we don't have any problems at all._

**Chapter 13**

**Pretending**

The wedding was the next day after that as Roxas soon realized. There was not much planning involved on his side. He didn't know anything at all. Everything took fold before he could register what happened and Axel seemed happy… really happy…and of course, the angel was the only one who could see the happiness in the King's face. Axel was back to who he was again…to who he was when he first time met him… the Axel in the human world that he was so in love with. But of course, all along, he knew that Axel never changed. Even if he did, Roxas would still love Axel. They had been through so much that it was impossible for him to forget about the redhead…no matter how much God interfered.

Roxas though…

He should feel happy right? He should be the one celebrating in joy with that gentle and pure kind smile of his. He should be beaming and singing in happiness. He should do all sorts of things that would express how happy he was that his wedding with Axel was coming soon…that he was going to be wedded to the supreme ruler of the Underworld and be regarded to as the Queen. He would be able to gain all the power and all the devotions from the beings of the Underworld that many desired for.

However…

There was something that kept him from being happy.

The wedding…was not the end…it was a new beginning.

_A new beginning…_

He never desired power. He didn't need to have power. All he wanted was to have a nice simple life…a nice simple life with the King, away from all the dilemmas, away from all the people…and most importantly, away from God and Celestia...from all his duties and from all his devotions to the man that was once very dear to him. What should he do now? That was not a first time for him. The decisions were always in his hands… he had to consider all his action. He had done thinking that anybody else did.

Looking at the palm of his hands, he took in a deep breath. Everything around him seemed to have gone silent. He was in the throne room, sitting on the throne, alone. All alone. Axel had left him, having other matters to attend to and the redhead wanted him to stay in the throne room and wait until he came back. He had changed back to his old piece of garments. The dress had been taken away by Larxene for repair.

There were a lot of beings gathered in the throne rooms. It was crowded. The whole Underworld was preparing for the wedding that would take hold the next day. It happened promptly and under that King's order, every being started to work, decorating the entire castle, informing every last being that resided in the Underworld about the huge event, doing their best to not shame the God of the Underworld. Humans were killed and devoured in order to celebrate; fairies were taken to the castle, killed and butchered to serve their flesh and blood as food and drink, angels were hunted down and killed to make some special arrangements in the wedding…all things were done and every creature in the Underworld was working together in order to present a glorious wedding ceremony for their King and their soon-to-be-Queen, Roxas.

Roxas wished time would stop.

Roxas felt that time…_had_ stopped.

Looking around, he could see and observe that every being was working hard, no one was slacking off. But…was it necessary? He wanted it to be simple… He wanted simplicity. All his life…from the first time he met Axel up until now…everything had evolved into something that was complicated…_too_ complicated. Separated again and again, overwhelming emotions that surge up every time he wasn't around Axel, worries and cries, desperately seeking for each other, needing each other, forgetting one another, thrown back and forth into dilemmas where they had to chose and pick an option…decisions…_decisions_. And almost all the time…those decisions led into further sadness…further darkness. But Roxas knew… that Axel was his light. He knew. Every time he was with Axel, he knew he had his light…a light that would soon diminish and disappear. A small glimmer that was so fragile…

Roxas was afraid.

He was terrified.

He had a huge fear.

And no one…not even Axel could calm him down…not even the wedding…not even the thought of being the Queen of the Underworld…no…nothing. The fear was so overwhelming…

"I'm…going…to disappear…" a single tear dropped, rolling down his cheek.

--

Axel smirked. He dodged around left and right, dancing with his trusty chakrams at his side. Swaying away a bit, he sidestepped and dashed backwards as he came face to face with the most dangerous three-headed dog that existed in the Underworld, kept and sealed in the deepest part of the castle that no being knew existed. _Cerberus_.

"Calm down, boy." The King grinned even more. He mashed his chakrams together in front of him, bringing the weapons together and summoned fire that immediately surged out from his weapons and shoot straight through the three-headed beast's body. Cerberus was chained to a wall and desperately trying to get out. Rage and malice filled the area as soon as the King entered the room a while ago.

The beast had been awakened from its deep slumber.

And it was not happy. Furthermore, it was immune to the King's fire.

Axel chuckled, loving the challenge.

"It would take me more than that to get you to cooperate, right?" the King stated darkly, rushing in to attack the beast.

--

Riku was inside. He was inside now. The Chamber of God…

He looked around hastily, suspicious and wary. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest out of the fear and excitement. Naminé kept going further and further, ascending the transparent, bright, endless stairs that led to God's throne. The silver head angel could feel his breath hitched in his throat. Proceeding cautiously, he summoned his weapon, Way to the Dawn, a sharp weapon that soon manifested in his hand. Its red and blue color radiated gloriously, and it trembled in Riku's hand, showing the excitement it felt from its master's veins.

A keyblade with a different form and shape than that of the Angel's…

Few people were blessed with the weapon.

Riku spread out his wings, pure white and gracious…its feathers floating around as his wings were spread. He took in a deep breath before he floated in the air. His sharp eyes stayed alerted and he stared at the way ahead. "Sora…I'll do everything."

And then, the silver head angel flew with as much speed as he could gather, passing by Namine, up and up and up, until he arrived in God's chamber. The sealed chamber that no one…no being had passed for the last thousands of years. No one knew who resided in there…no one knew what God looked like. The only thing they knew about God was His voice.

Riku swallowed before taking a step forward, pushing the huge white double door open. The clouds were blinding, enveloping him, and the Sun was burning.

"_Riku!"_

--

Loud machinery could be heard, ringing and resounding across the filth of a room. The room was covered in filthy black mud, having been abandoned for so long in the hidden side of Celestia. The bricks, important fundamentals that defined the room, could barely be seen as it was covered in dirt…sickening, dark mud.

Irons were clanking, gears were sparking flames at they created frictions with one another…the chandelier that shone forever in eternity, hung in the middle of the room. There was a soft wind and a simple whisper as Xion entered the room, alerting the whole room that there was an intruder. It was as if the Chamber of Punishment had a life of its own, aware, and on standby, ready to purge and purify any beings that dared to intrude its area. However, when it sensed that it was a presence of the particular angel, the noises stopped. Everything stopped working almost immediately, giving its way to Xion.

Xion stepped in, wet and soaked. Her expression was hidden underneath her black hair. She was carrying the redheaded angel. Stopping as she was inside the room, she set the angel down on the ground, pulling out her blade.

Kairi was motionless.

Xion's black wings flapped around until it calmed down, stopping in its motion. "I bring you…a sacrifice." She whispered, stepping backwards, her blood covered blade held fast in her hand. "Purge this being. Allow her no rest…allow her no reincarnation."

The Chamber of Punishment groaned back to life, its machinery working and running so fast, eager.

Xion's face stayed hidden underneath her hair. She closed her eyes, mourning but showing no sadness. As she raised her head and opened her eyes…they were blank…dark and gloomy…merciless. She turned around and walked out of the room. The door swung shut behind her, producing an eerie shriek.

"Demyx…" she whispered.

The room gave a resounding groan. Black shadows started appearing everywhere in the filth covered room, crawling around, making no noises. The Chamber of Punishment strangely produced shrieking screams and pleads. Black auras started to envelope the entire area and a pair of black, gloomy hand appeared in the void, out of nowhere, reaching and grabbing Kairi's body. More hands began appearing, clawing and battling for the body that was lying on the ground.

Then…all of the hands were able to touch the redheaded angel. They began tearing apart the body, taking the angel's hands, her legs, her head, separating the components from her body. Blood spurted out mercilessly, streaming and seeping, dropping everywhere, making more filth in the room. Then there was sickening growling and munching noises... And the angel dissipated… no reincarnation, no rest…her soul devoured, vanishing into the void.

--

"You look bored." Axel's voice could barely be heard amidst all the ruckus that was going on in the throne room.

Roxas looked up from where he was sitting, his eyes meeting the familiar acidic eyes that belonged to the King. He smiled, hiding his thoughts. "Hey." He called out.

"You're not thrilled?" the King smirked.

"Ahah…" Roxas breathed heavily, his face facing the floor, his hand reaching up to grab a fistful of his own golden locks and he forced a grin on his face. "Of course, I am!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Axel's face straightened. His hand shot out instantaneously to cup Roxas' cheek, looking deep into the cerulean eyes.

Roxas' face was void of expression.

Axel bent down and leaned in close to the angel's face and gently pressed his lips against the pink plump lips of Roxas'. Roxas instantly melt into the kiss, returning it shyly, but not expecting it to go any further than that. Axel pulled away soon after, his face still extremely close to Roxas'. Roxas could feel the King's breathes on his nose. He could smell the King's scent. He could feel his warmth…

"Want to come with me?" Axel whispered, pulling away more and offering his hand.

"Where?" Roxas asked before taking Axel's hand hesitantly.

The King smirked. "Somewhere fun."

And that was enough for Roxas to go with Axel.

--

They were soaring in the sky. Roxas could feel the wind blowing against him, calming and comforting. He took in a deep breath, fresh and nice in the blue colored sky. Flying and flying, higher and higher, with Axel beside him. It had been so long since he felt the wind like this and be able to touch the cloud like that, just flying freely like a bird, through the never ending sky of blue.

He held on fast to the Cerberus' back, one of his hands gripping the three headed beast' black wings. Then he stood up on the beast' back. Roxas was never one to fear height. Height was his specialty. He always loved being able to fly as high as he could and just watch and spending his entire day away in the vast blue sky. One of his favorite activities that he hadn't done for so long…one that he had long lost hope to be able to experience again.

He spread both of his arms, shutting his eyes, just feeling the wind, becoming one, imagining that he was flying again. The feeling…the emotions and the sheer excitement running back into his veins…an experience that he had forgotten so long ago.

Roxas vaguely wondered how a Cerberus had wings and even fly in the air. Wasn't the three-headed beast a sacred beast in the Underworld? Kept somewhere far away…a beast who was banished by God to spend its forever doom, locked and chained in the deepest part of the Underworld? All because Cerberus rebelled God thousands of years ago and aided one of the past Kings of the Underworld. Roxas remembered that much of what God told him once.

Axel chuckled. "You're smiling."

At that, Roxas opened his eyes and looked quizzically at the redhead. "Huh?"

"I said, you're smiling." Axel mirrored the smile.

"What? I thought I was always smiling?" Roxas smiled softly, raising his eyebrows a bit.

"Those smiles are fake." Axel said calmly. Roxas could barely able to hear what Axel was saying due to the wind.

"Those are not…" Roxas countered.

"Roxas, I know you better than you are." Axel stood up from where he was sitting, walking over to the blond. He didn't even faze from the unsteadiness and the height they were in. Cerberus kept flying, groaning a bit as it steered and turned right slowly so that his two masters wouldn't fall down.

Roxas stuck his tongue out playfully, not wanting to pursue the topic further.

"Roxas…" Axel trailed off, walking and standing close in front of the angel, grabbing Roxas' shoulders right and staring right into those cerulean. "Whatever you're planning to do, _don't." _The King said firmly, holding his gaze on the blond who was trying to avoid eye contact.

Roxas shifted his weight uneasily to the left and right, looking at everywhere but at the King. He couldn't…he couldn't have eye contact with the King. It was almost impossible. Did Axel figure out what he was trying to do? Should he really…_not_ do what he was about to do? What _was_ he about to do? Just… what was he trying to do?

"I can take care of everything. Don't you try and pull any foolish attempts, angel." Axel commanded, his voice harsh and demanding.

"It's not over, Axel…" Roxas whispered. He shook his head. "It's not over…"

Cerberus growled suddenly and Axel looked up. "Looks like he found it." He smirked, releasing his grip on Roxas' shoulder, turning back and narrowing his eyes as the sunlight shone directly to his face. "We can land there." He stated and Cerberus began descending.

"What are we… ah!" Roxas yelped, suddenly losing his balance as Cerberus descend and made a sharp turn. Axel quickly dashed over to catch the angel, holding him tight at his waist.

"Steady." Axel smirked.

Roxas gulped and gasped when Axel suddenly jumped off of Cerberus, carrying him at the waist, freefalling down from the sky. The angel was definitely not afraid of height, but free falling and knowing that he had no wings to hold him from not plummeting dead to the earth below terrified him. His eyes bulged wide.

Axel smirked even more, licking his lips. His head faced first to the ground. They were falling high-speed, the wind blowing harshly. Axel held the angel tight, not about to let go anytime soon.

"Axel!" Roxas cried, quickly sneaking his arms around the King's neck and wrapping his legs around the redhead's stomach.

Axel chuckled.

Roxas paled. He was about to cry right then and there, but managed to hold back his tears.

"Trust me on this, Roxas." Axel said, his voice calm and gentle, trying to reassure the obviously terrified blond.

Roxas looked into Axel's expression. His shock and surprise disappearing. "No, I don't trust you." He laughed, releasing Axel and pushed him away. Then he smiled, falling down full force ahead of Axel. What was he afraid of? There was nothing for him to be afraid of. He had been through everything. And Axel was there…

"There's a monster that has been terrorizing the town near here. It's a black Pegasus." Axel informed.

"And you're here to vanquish it?" Roxas asked doubtfully, not believing that Axel was trying to do some good deeds.

"Clever."

"To save the townfolks?" Roxas inquired again.

"Not exactly."

Roxas chuckled. He knew Axel wouldn't be so nice as to save a town. The King's temper was one that he knew so well about.

They passed through a mountain. Looking around and taking everything in, Roxas saw an opening and summoned Oblivion. He stuck his oblivion to the edge of the mountain which acted as his leverage, creating frictions so that his fall would be slowed down. Axel did the same too, summoning his chakrams and using them as stepping grounds that would create frictions to slow down his fall.

Soon afterwards, the blond and the redhead landed safely on the ground, followed by Cerberus a while later.

"Ahead," Axel said calmly, holding his chakrams firmly. They were in a desert area, surrounded by vast sea of sand. Everywhere Roxas looked, all he could find was yellow and brown, the whole place was made of a huge amount of sand, never-ending. He could feel the heat from the blazing sun, assaulting him. Axel seemed okay. But of course, he was the God of the Underworld who was famous for his ability to control and manipulate fire.

"Let's finish this quickly."

"What are you killing a black Pegasus for?" Roxas inquired again, wanting to know.

"Its blood is sacred and rare."

"…For…?"

"You'll know soon enough." Axel answered nonchalantly.

"Why does…Cerberus has wings?"

"Vexen's experiments. That mad scientist could do anything beyond imagination."

"His…experiment can…" Roxas blinked, suddenly feeling a surge of hope.

"No. It's too strong for a human or even for a Celestian. You could never survive if you are ever to take the drug. No more questions. Let's go." Axel grinned.

"Where?"

"Who says we have to walk?" The King laughed, summoning a portal in the middle of nowhere and stepped inside. Roxas followed soon after, leaving Cerberus behind.

--

There was nothing around as soon as they were out of the portal. Roxas was cautious and wary. Anything would happen and he didn't want to let his guard down. He held on fast to Oblivion, feeling slightly insecure with the wind and the sand blowing against him. He could hardly see anything and it seemed like sandstorm was about to occur soon there. He was on standby…on his battle position, ready for anything that was about to cause harm to them.

Axel was also wary, but he didn't show it. He looked around, but found nothing. However, he could sense something nearby. Roxas could sense it too, a strong aura that was slightly vague, buried underneath the approaching sandstorm, nevertheless, he could feel it, whatever it was.

"There!" Axel yelled, taking a step backwards as he summoned his chakrams.

Roxas quickly snapped his attention to the sky. There, under the blazing, burning sun was a dark, black colored horse with wings. Its skin was gleaming and shining brilliantly under the sun's touch. Roxas swallowed at the size of the black Pegasus. It was almost as big as Cerberus.

Axel turned around and with all his power, he threw one of his chakrams at the direction of the black Pegasus as an attempt to get its attention and it worked. "Got you." Axel smirked darkly, taking back the chakram that flew back to his side. "Ready, Roxas?"

Roxas nodded firmly.

"Show your power as the Queen of the Underworld."

At that, Roxas pouted and death-glared the King. The King merely laughed, amused. Roxas huffed. He rolled away from where he was standing and Axel jumped to the other side as the black Pegasus attacked them head-on, striking and making the ground tremble, dusts and sand began flying, creating mists that toned down their sights.

Roxas dragged his Keyblade and slashed up, but the beast was quick to react as it flew away unharmed, back up in the sky. "It can fly." He pouted, complaining.

"And it will go down _hard_." Axel commented confidently.

Axel jumped away, dashing and throwing both of his chakrams, they lit up, enshrouded by fire in the air. The fire kept growing, spinning together and becoming one with the weapons, aiming for the black Pegasus. The beast roared, dashing madly and becoming aggressive, launching forward to attack the King.

Roxas took that as an opening and quickly jumped on the beast' back as soon as it was close enough. When he was finally on its back, he held up Oblivion with both of his hands, quickly stabbing down mercilessly to its back and pulling his weapon out. The beast growled, going mad, and trashing around. Blood hurled and spurted everywhere, the crimson liquid flying and blending in with the orange color of the horizon.

The angel gracefully jumped off the black Pegasus' back before he was injured and landed graciously on the sea of sand.

"Alright, Roxas. Fight, fight, fight." Axel cheered, clapping his hands before taking back his chakrams. He summoned a field of fire, enshrouding the beast in fire, the fire grew strong and wild, bursting off in the air, the oxygen fueling its power. The beast' shriek could be heard ringing in the air. Roxas merely watched, his expression cold and emotionless.

With a snap of his fingers, the fire ceased. The black Pegasus whined and roared, malice and anger surrounding its weakened state. It attempted to charge at Roxas, who seemed to be off-guard. But it was wrong. Roxas quickly dashed away and appearing suddenly later at the Pegasus' side. The angel floated on the air, holding Oblivion tight. Mercilessly, he landed down a hard and final blow on the beast' head, slicing it off effectively and quickly within a single bat of eye.

He closed his eyes in mourning as he landed on the ground, holding his Keyblade backwards. "Great job." Axel spoke.

Roxas smiled softly, dismissing his keyblade. Oblivion disappeared into the darkness.

Axel did the same, dismissing his weapons.

Stepping closer, Axel took out a test tube and filled it filled the blood of the black Pegasus.

"You're up to something." Roxas spoke. "What are you planning to do with that?" he asked casually, putting his hands behind his head.

"You'll know soon." Axel replied.

Roxas didn't have the desire to ponder any further. He watched as Axel stood up and opened a portal. "Let's go. The sandstorm is heading this way."

The blond nodded, stepping into the portal.

--

They headed back soon afterwards on the back of Cerberus. Roxas lay silently there, watching the clouds and the sky passing him. He was tired from all the events that happened that day. There was really nothing much, but he was really tired. All the thinking and the pondering and the dilemmas had driven him to his edge. And there was so much more to think about. So much more to plan, so much more to… he suddenly felt his head being gently raised and laid back down on a softer surface.

"Axel?" Roxas called out softly.

"You look tired."

Roxas' head was resting on the King's lap. He smiled, burying his face into Axel's stomach, snuggling into the comforting warmth.

"You should sleep, Angel."

Roxas hummed absent-mindedly. The only thing he remembered before going into his slumber was a fiery red head that was blazing brilliantly.

--

"Where are they?" Demyx asked impatiently, walking back and forth in the throne room.

Zexion was leaning his back against the pillar nearby, just watching the Mohawk blond without providing any replies or comments. His arms were crossed and his head was facing the floor. "They'll be back soon." He finally said.

"But, we've been waiting for…!"

"A while." The lilac haired man provided, raising his head and looking to the sides, his eyes were set outside the window. The sight of the volcanoes erupting and the black grounds filled and cracked up with lavas could be seen.

"I can't wait to see them!" Demyx exclaimed excitedly.

"I thought you don't want to come back here at first." Zexion countered.

"Well, that was then. Now that I know that Vincent guy is going to take care of Kairi…" Demyx smiled.

"For all we know. The angel could already be dead."

The Mohawk blond grimaced. "I…sure hope not…"

There was silence.

"There." Zexion informed calmly.

"What?"

"The King and Roxas."

--

Seeing as the angel was still asleep when they had arrived at the castle, the King carried Roxas bridal style and jumped off of Cerberus' back. "As I've promised, you're free." Axel said to Cerberus, his tone low.

Cerberus let out a low growl, shaking its head; its metal collar and chains clanking against his neck.

"There's no point for you to stay here and be kept in that dungeon." The redhead added.

The beast let out yet another growl, standing there facing its master. The fire and volcano that was erupting in the background didn't seem to affect the two beings at all. Roxas though, was moaning and panting because of the heat, but was still sleeping in Axel's arms.

Axel watched as Cerberus settled down on the ground, not moving. He released a small chuckle before turning and walking into the castle. Once he was inside, he was greeted by a very familiar face.

"Axel!!!" Demyx immediately went to tackle the King. Axel was luckily on guard and was steady even after being attacked by Demyx's strong force. The angel he was holding remained secure in his arms. "Roxas!!!" Demyx cried.

Roxas immediately jolted awake, his eyes fluttering open. "Huh?"

"Dem…" Axel narrowed his eyes and raised one of his hands, about to spank the Mohawk blond. Demyx was ready for the impact as he gasped and tried to cover his head. But all he received was Axel raking his hair gently.

"Huh?"

"Hey. It's been long." Axel smirked.

Roxas woke up and registered what was happening. "Demyx?" he titled his head to the side, still a bit drowsy from the sleep. When he found out that he was in Axel's arms, he blushed pink.

"Ah, so I heard you two are getting married." Demyx grinned widely, his cheeks touching his eyes.

Roxas blushed red and immediately hiding his face in Axel's chest.

"Roxas is still as shy as ever," Demyx sighed happily, missing and reminiscing those days they were living together.

"I see you've taken care of your matter, Zexion."

"Yes, My King. I have a message from Vincent. He sent you his best wishes on the wedding and he went off to chase after Xion."

"After Xion?" Roxas immediately jumped off of Axel's arms and looked at the slate haired boy.

"Xion got Kairi… I'm sorry, Roxas." Demyx grimaced.

"Got Kairi?" the angel mouthed.

"Yes. Kairi was in a bad condition from what I've gathered from Vincent."

"Kairi…"

"Tell Vincent to not step too far into the realm of Celestia. The war might be unavoidable, but there's no point in provoking a full-scale war anytime soon." The King commanded.

"As you wish, Your Highness." Zexion bowed and walked away, leaving the three alone.

Demyx watched as Zexion walked away, releasing a sigh. But then, a grin quickly graced his face again. He threw himself on Roxas then and hugged the angel close. "Nice to meet you again!" he cheered.

"Hi Demyx." Roxas greeted happily, smiling.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm…good." Roxas answered, still smiling.

"I come here especially for your wedding! So, you'll be the bride?"

"Yeah." Roxas nodded unhappily, pouting a bit, still not happy being called a bride.

"Aww…" Demyx noticed the change in Roxas' expression and went off to ruffling the blond's golden locks. "That's really great, you two."

There was silence.

"So, it's going to be tomorrow?" Demyx tried to break the heavy atmosphere between them.

"Yeah." Axel answered nonchalantly. "In the throne room."

"Got everything planned?" Demyx grinned, nudging Axel with his elbows.

"What do you think, you old man." Axel grinned when Demyx glared. "I have other matters to attend to. I'll leave you two alone. Take care, Angel." The redhead leaned down to plant a soft and affectionate kiss on the Roxas' forehead. Summoning a portal, the King stepped in and disappeared.

"I wonder what he's up to." Roxas muttered, his cheeks were still a bit pink, quite surprised of the King's sudden change of persona.

"Well, he's definitely up to something." Demyx smirked. "When is he not?"

"Yeah." Roxas nodded, smiling.

"He will never change."

"Love him the way he is." Roxas grinned.

"And you're always so blatant and shy." Demyx laughed. "Anywhere we can sit and talk? We have a lot to catch up!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"I guess we can go to the throne room or…"

"Let's go!" Demyx cheered, grabbing Roxas' wrist and dragging the blond with him.

Roxas followed, chuckling. _Demyx, it's been so long!_ Even though he didn't show it, the angel was as excited as the Mohawk blond. After all, Demyx was the person that he could open up to next to Sora.

_Riku, don't go!_

"Sora?" the blond was jolted and stopped suddenly.

"What?" Demyx noticed, pausing, turning to look at the blond.

Roxas blinked and then shook his head. "No, it's nothing."

"Okay." Demyx smiled.

And the both continued on.

"Sora…" Roxas muttered.

_Did something happen to Riku?_

--

There might be some confusion about Demyx and such for those who don't read Harmony of the Sky. So, if you want some minor questions answered, go read Harmony of the Sky. Of course, if you want to.

(: Thank you very much for staying with me. This doesn't really go anywhere, but I think it somehow confirms certain things and future happenings. I would love to hear all inputs and I'll reply to all of you! I haven't done so with the last chapter yet. I'll get to it. (: Plots will get going soon. Hope you enjoyed the little light update!


	14. Wedding

Sorry for the one month delay.

Enjoy.

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 14**

**Wedding**

Roxas was unable to sleep all night. He was trashing in his room. For the rest of the evening, all he did was watch the inhabitants of the Underworld preparing their grand wedding. He got lost in himself most of the time when he was watching and merely thinking of all that would happen afterwards, all that would happen the morning after—which would be occurring soon. And he hadn't had any sleep. He was sleepy and extremely tired and exhausted, but he couldn't sleep.

Chatting with Demyx had helped him escaped from reality for a short while. He was actually happy, chatting about light problems and humors that he had experienced when he, Axel, and Demyx were in the human world. How they would spend their peaceful time together…the happiness they experienced then, was one that Roxas knew wouldn't happen again for the rest of his short life.

Demyx was always cheerful and carefree, just like what he remembered. Being with Demyx was always so heart-warming. He just wished that Axel would be there when he was with Demyx…then at least, it would feel more real to him…more that…his burden would be all forgotten and taken away… even in a single millisecond. That would be enough for him.

Axel was missing for the whole evening. By the time the angel got to see the King, Axel was heavily injured, bleeding severely. He was worried. He wanted to run to the King and asked what had happened, but the King's servant was preventing him from getting close to the redhead. He went everywhere to gather information, but found nothing. It seemed that the King had told the inhabitants of the Underworld to keep the information to themselves. Roxas felt left out. It was as if…no… he _was_ left out. Everyone knew about what happened except him. He didn't doubt that even Demyx knew because Demyx was allowed inside a room where Axel was supposed to get his treatment. It was not only that Larxene prevented him from going in, but also that there was some kind of barrier that was formed to keep anything or anyone outside—no doubt created by Zexion.

And so, the angel was rolling around on his big dark blue covered bed. He was given a separate room. Larxene explained that the Queen-to-be and the King weren't allowed to see each other until the wedding took hold. Roxas released a soft sigh. He wanted to see Axel. He wanted to know how the redhead was doing. He was worried beyond all reasons. Axel was wounded and in pain and he wasn't there to help…or rather… he was incapable of helping. He couldn't help with anything anyway; that must be the whole reason why he wasn't allowed inside the treatment room. And now, he had managed to get himself frustrated over such small problem.

He couldn't sleep…no matter how drained he was…no matter how much his brain was protesting.

--

At the other side of the castle, slept the King. Axel wasn't exactly sleeping. It seemed that the God of the Underworld had trouble closing his eyes. There was a small sincere smile that graced his face.

He heaved a sigh when he noticed how badly injured he was. Raising his hands, he managed to catch a small glimpse of its shadows from the small flicker of light that was present in the room. "Can't be killed, huh?" he muttered to himself, using the same hand to cover his face and placed in on his chin. Heaving another sigh, he closed his eyes. He looked to the side, seemingly thinking and forming a plan, thinking of something he could do to achieve what he wanted. But currently, nothing came across his mind. He couldn't think of anything with the severe headache that he was having and the pain from the injury that was assaulting him. Of course, it was nothing, but it surely affected his concentration and focus.

Without any kind of difficulties, he was able to get up from where he was lying. Slowly stretching his legs and arms, he got up, balancing himself on the ground. With a single flick of hand, the barrier that Zexion placed in the area diminished. He grinned. And then, he summoned a portal, leading to the place where the angel should be sleeping.

--

Roxas jolted up when he sensed a familiar presence in his room. He grumbled—just when he was about to go into his slumber, the King decided to infiltrate his humble abode. He pretended to be asleep, hoping that Axel wouldn't notice, yet at the same time wondering if the redhead would be as harsh as to wake him up. In addition, he didn't feel like talking to Axel—the same person who was hiding something from him. He was allowed to be selfish once in a while, right?

Axel slowly walked towards where the angel was lying. He sat down at the edge of the bed, watching Roxas carefully. "You're not sleeping." He muttered out bluntly, releasing a small chuckle.

Roxas stuck his tongue out, still with his eyes shut close and rolled around, facing away from the King.

"What, you're not worried about me?" Axel asked cockily.

"Well, you don't _want_ me to worry about you." Roxas retaliated, still not facing the King, hiding his face in the pillow.

"And I thought the bride should be asleep by now and look pretty for the wedding in the morning."

"Yeah, I should. So, go away." Roxas answered ignorantly. "I don't care about what happened to you. You can just go get yourself killed and I still don't care."

"Really? Alright, as you wish, my Queen." Axel answered seriously, his voice deep and low.

"What?!" Roxas shot up. "No! Are you…" Roxas paused instantly when he saw that familiar smirk in the dark.

"See, you care." The King laughed.

"No, I'm not!" Roxas frowned, immediately facing away.

"Why the childish behavior?"

"What?" Roxas pouted. "I'm allowed to behave as I want."

"You are."

Silence.

"Are…you okay?" Roxas finally asked, his head hung low.

"What do you think?"

"You're injured badly, what do _you_ think? Just what were you doing?"

"I was out to kill something, got bored." Axel gave the simplest explanation.

Roxas glared. "Nice."

Axel chukled.

"So…are you okay?" Roxas asked again, his cerulean eyes blinking.

"I'll be okay in the morning." The King answered casually. He stepped forward and moved closer to the blond, closing their distance, kneeling and pulling the angel into a hug.

Roxas blushed. "We're not…supposed to meet right now… you know."

"Larxene and her rules."

Roxas laughed, stroking the King's hair affectionately. "You should have your hair cut." He spoke out the most random thought he could think of.

"You'd rather I be bald?" Axel countered, snuggling his face into the blond's neck.

"A bald King…" Roxas thought, tilting his head to the side to give Axel better access. "would be… a good laugh." He laughed.

Axel laughed together with the blond.

"It's tomorrow."

"I know, surprise me."

"You're in a lot of surprise." Axel answered.

"I have a feeling." Roxas smiled, speaking softly. "…I…" he paused, taking in a deep breath. "love you."

"You know how I feel, angel." Axel buried his face in the blond's hair, inhaling the scent.

--

The next morning…

There was a huge ruckus in the Underworld's castle. With words floating about, it was not a surprise that the human world and Celestia already knew about the big event. But of course, none of the inhabitants from Celestia attended the wedding. Demyx was the only human that went to the Underworld and attended the wedding. Every last one of the beings in the Underworld celebrated and participated in the wedding ceremony and event. It was a good morning, even though everything always looked the same in the Underworld, whether it was morning or night. It was always dark and all the lighting came from torches and burning flames of lava from outside.

Roxas was sitting in awe, mouth agape, eyes narrowed. He contemplated on whether to hide himself for the rest of the day in somewhere that no one could find him or just…go through with the whole process with what Axel and Larxene or Marluxia wanted to do with him.

"I hate to say this, but flower bath is necessary." Marluxia commented, watching as Larxene combed Roxas' hair.

Larxene broke into a fit of giggle. "Yeah, right, Marly. You love flowers, admit it."

Marluxia smiled and answered calmly. "I never denied it."

Larxene's face straightened, she had hoped for the leader of the Grim Reapers to retaliate and quarrel with him. Roxas was sitting in front of his bedroom mirror, watching himself being dressed up by the leader of the Lilims.

Zexion was sitting on the bed, calmly reading his book, his face never showed any emotions.

"I'm back!!" the door sprung open suddenly and Demyx came in with a bucket full of cosmetics.

"Ooo, nice, Demyx! You got all the cosmetics we would need for our Queen here."

Roxas was honestly…quite surprised with everyone's sudden change of attitude. They didn't seem at all…like the inhabitants of the Underworld that people feared, not at all. In fact, it felt like they were equally the same—creations with emotions and kindness. Roxas didn't sense any hostility at all. Who would have thought that the people who could kill others without a single blink of eye would be… so involved and happy about he and Axel's wedding?

"I don't need any cosmetics." Roxas spoke.

"But, Roxas! I've gone through all the trouble of gathering them from those healers!" Demyx complained, remembering back how the healers looked. The healers of the Underworld were women in green, hairs of glimmering black, specialized in combining herbs and materials together. They were also the most beautiful creatures with perfectly shaped body known in the Underworld—though no being spoke about them because they worked in the deep part of the Underworld that no one knew about.

"Ooo, how did it go?" Marluxia rose an eyebrow, seemingly interested with Demyx's story.

"They're scary!!! I mean, seriously! I've had enough of their big… breasts and their smiles!" Demyx exclaimed, fear and horror painted his face.

"I bet you love it when your face dug deep into their breasts." Zexion spoke casually, shifting his attention from his book to look at the Mohawk blond's expression.

"They… you what?" Roxas questioned innocently.

Demyx blushed crimson, all his blood went up to his face. "I did _not_ like it!" he shouted.

"Yeah, right." Zexion answered, going back to reading his book.

"Looks like someone's jealous…" Larxene whistled, smirking. She earned double sets of glares from the cloak schemer and the only human in the room. She pretended innocent and went back to take care of the Queen.

"Ow! That hurts!" Roxas yelped when Larxene forcefully combed his hair.

"Ugh, how long has it been since you washed yourself?"

Roxas seemed to be thinking for a while. "I forgot?" he answered blankly.

"Right…" Larxene then shoved Roxas to Marluxia. "Flower bath it is."

"What?! No!" Roxas protested, about to run away but was grabbed by Marluxia on the waist, he was soon carried to the royal bathroom. There were screaming and protesting involved.

Larxene giggled.

"I wonder if Roxas is going to be alright?" Demyx inquired silently.

"Who's with the King?" Larxene chirped, ignoring Demyx's question completely.

The Mohawk blond shrugged. "I'll go check."

--

Demyx skipped along the hallway that led to the King's chamber. It had been a long while since he talked to Axel. He hadn't got a chance to talk to him ever since he arrived in the Underworld. He slowly opened the door to Axel's room, peeking inside cautiously, making sure that there will be no harm coming to him—like Axel hurling fire at him or anything—since Axel used to do that when they were in the human world. It had become common to him.

Looking inside, he saw the King and he grinned widely.

"Hey, Dem." Axel spoke, seemingly trying to tie his unruly hair.

"Axel!" the Mohawk blond exclaimed. "You look…so cool!!!" he spoke happily, tackling and glomping the redhead.

"Dem, calm down."

"Oh, Roxas is going to love you so much!"

"He already loves me." Axel countered.

"No, I mean! Look at you!!! This crimson cape, this outfit! It's perfect! Who pick this?"

"Believe it or not… Vexen's the one that designed it."

"That…crazy scientist?"

"Yeah, seems like he got more into him than just science." Axel smirked, noticing the surprised look on Demyx's face.

Demyx stood in front of Axel, checking the King out. "Look at how much my baby has grown!!" he said, about to burst into tears.

Axel merely shook his head and grinned. Demyx would always be Demyx, emotional, cheerful, and ignorant, but always thoughtful when need be.

"I remember when you were knee-high and see how tall you are now!!!"

"Yeah…" Axel answered dryly.

Demyx laughed. "But, you sure have changed." He smiled. "Ever since you took over as the King." He released a contented sigh.

"…"

"I mean, you're not so high-tempered anymore and I've heard a lot about you from Zexion and Roxas…you've changed."

"You never change."

"Everybody change, Axel."

"Eventually…"

"You need some help?" Demyx inquired.

"You can definitely help me with my hair."

"I thought you never cared about that."

"Roxas told me that I need it cut, so I want to at least make it look neat."

"Ah. No matter how much you've changed, you still have this same soft spot for Roxas, huh?" Demyx teased.

"Shut up, mortal."

Demyx grinned some more. "But, I'm immortal."

--

"What is…" Roxas narrowed his eyes. After the slightly 'unpleasant' bath,—being watched by the leader of the Grim Reaper while taking a bath wasn't exactly pleasant—he was faced with more surprises. Roxas could smell the scents of roses emanating from his body, it was really quite a comforting smell, yet at the same time, he couldn't help but felt like he was being treated like a girl which was supposedly not good. "How.. do you…"

"Oh, we went hunting, my Queen." Larxene answered happily, bowing her head to Roxas.

"Those are real?"

"Of course." Marluxia answered.

Roxas' breathe hitched. All that for a wedding?

--

The time was near. The bell was ringing and every being in the Underworld gathered together in the Chamber room, the place where the wedding would take hold. Everybody was busy chatting and gossiping, wondering what the Queen looked like and what would happen to the Underworld after the wedding. Some were calm, trusting the King's decision. Some were as ignorant as ever. However, every being attended the ceremony.

Roxas was uneasy. He shifted his weight back and forth, left and right. His breathe was caught in his throat. He really wanted to just go and find some place to hide, but he knew he shouldn't. He gnawed on his bottom lips uneasily. There was such a heavy burden on his chest.

Vaguely, he shifted his attention, wondering what Axel would think of him…looking like that. He smiled. Knowing Axel, he knew that the King would be happy seeing him in that.

The bell rang for a last time and the throne room went silent.

The God of the Underworld was sitting calmly, laid on the cushion of his crimson colored throne. His emerald eyes shone in the well-lighted area. The blood colored curtains was blown by the wind, dancing softly in a rhythm. There was such an intense silence that even the wind's motion could be heard.

And then, there was another bell.

Every being's attention was immediately shifted to the other side of the room.

Nothing happened for a while.

Larxene was gathered amongst the crowds, floating in the air, smiling, proud of her work, who was about to show up soon. Marluxia was standing nearby, his back against the pillar, holding a glass wine, and drinking the purple colored liquid calmly. Vexen, the mad scientist, who grumbled earlier at being forced to leave his underground lab was also in the room, watching His Highness, not caring what would happen as he went and pulled out a test tube to begin examining his previous experiment.

Zexion was calm, reading his book at the hidden corner of the throne room, not caring about anyone around him. Demyx was excited, grinning brightly all the time.

Roxas took a deep breath.

Every being were waiting for him. He felt nervous…extremely nervous. He couldn't stand the pressure. He wished he could have hidden his face behind some clothes or something.

Finally, taking another deep breath, he came out from where he was hiding, stepping into the throne room, looking at everywhere but at the thousand pairs of eyes that were focused on him. He hated being the center of attention.

And there he was—the soon to be queen. Standing awkwardly, wearing a gorgeous black dress that was made of feathers—lots and lots of black feather, woven into a dress with the silkiest thread that could only be found in the Underworld. The thread came from the death worms that lived only in the Underworld, feeding on dead bodies, producing black-tainted threads. The feathers—were the result of the hard work of Larxene, Vexen, and Marluxia, going around and hunting down angels, even going as far as to the Celestians' territory to hunt the Celestians and took their wings back for Vexen to experiment on. With the mix of the blood from the Black Pegasus and a little tweak from Vexen, the feathers were turned into a dress. There were glows as Roxas was trudging, walking in the throne room, getting closer to the King, who had already stood up, waiting for him.

Roxas' hair was decorated with a pair of horns as hair accessories, further accentuated him as the future Queen of the Underworld. He felt very uncomfortable and his face flushed from embarrassment. He stopped in the way, not looking at the King, feeling hard to breathe as more and more attentions were turned to him.

Axel felt his heart leapt.

Roxas was beautiful.

The King stood there in awe, not moving, only watching with his predatory emerald eyes, admiring the creature in front of him.

Roxas stepped closer until he was right in front of the King. He could feel his heart thumping in his chest.

Axel took Roxas' hands in his, squeezing them affectionately. "You look beautiful," the King leaned in and whispered gently.

Roxas gulped. His breathe caught in his throat again.

"Look at me." Axel whispered, gently using his fingers to raise Roxas' chin so his eyes could meet Roxas' brilliant blue.

Roxas looked away. "Axel…" he whispered.

"You're the most beautiful Queen I've ever seen." Axel smiled.

"The time has come." A healer announced, standing on the ground that held the throne up. The being which took the form of a beautiful woman with purple skin was wearing a black tight dress, wrapping her body perfectly. The Healer was very tall, no doubt even taller than the King.

Axel was unwilling, but he let his eyes off of Roxas. He would have so much time later to stare at his beautiful bride. Roxas turned, eyeing the Healer.

"Thousands of years ago. There was a war, a war that has separated the land and the world, killing hundreds of thousands, sending the Underworld into dismay and chaos." The Healer's voice echoed throughout the area and there was a silence as she paused. "A war in which we all fought together, survived from in order to have a better life, to create a better world with no interference from Celestia. With the guidance and the bravery of our King, we won."

She continued. "In the war. The King has sacrificed a lot more than we could imagine. The King has blessed us with a calm life we have now, standing strong against the human world and Celestia. King Axel watched over us, sacrificing everything in order to give us the life we're enjoying now."

Axel became the center of attention.

"His Highness, King Axel, sacrificed the person he loved in order to defeat Celestia. That person was an angel. And that person is now back in the Underworld—right now standing side by side with our King. Our soon to be Queen has fought side by side with us thousands of years ago, sacrificing himself, standing up against his own kind, giving us the life we have now."

Roxas' eyes widened. How could they…

"The story remained hidden. Nobody but the survivors of the war knew about it and the truth faded away with time. And now, the two are reunited. Soon, they are going to rule over us together and we will take down Celestia."

Roxas' face grimaced.

There was an awkward silence where the inhabitants of the Underworld in the area stared at each other, blinking, asking silently whether what the Healer told them was true or not. Some nodded, some looked confused, and some didn't care.

"_Long Live the King. Long Live the Queen!"_

The Throne Room was soon filled with cheers.

"And now, we shall begin the Binding Ceremony."

Another healer walked up to the throne, carrying a black colored box. She handed the box over to the other Healer. Roxas watched closely, wondering what was inside the box, still pretty much standing uncomfortably in that dress he was wearing.

As the box was opened, he could see a flash of bright light which was soon swallowed by an intense aura of darkness.

The Healer took out what was inside the box and another healer took the box away. It was a feather…a feather burning with everlasting fire. Its fire was a blend of orange, yellow, red, blue, and black…mixed and blended together, enwrapping the feather eerily.

"Two souls will be bounded as one with this Phoenix's feather that the king acquired, a sign of undying emotion, mixed with the Pegasus' blood that the Queen killed, a symbol of everlasting devotion. The King will present his bride with the gift and the chain and threads between the two beings will be connected."

The room was silent.

Roxas couldn't quite register in what was happening, but he could somehow connect the pieces. So…Axel went missing for the whole day and came back injured because he went to hunt down a Phoenix and acquire its feather for the binding ceremony?... but the King wielded fire and Phoenix was a creature created and reincarnated again and again from fire… that must be why the King suffered such heavy injuries. And the Black Pegasus that he killed… so, Axel was actually tricking him into it? No wonder the King didn't put much action when they were battling the Black Pegasus. Roxas was indeed the one who killed the creature.

The feather was glowing. Roxas could sense the feeling of the intense emotion contained within that single feather, burning eternally… He suddenly felt queasy, his stomach churning and protesting.

Axel stepped forward to take the feather. Then, he stepped back, standing right in front of the blond angel, emerald eyes taking in the delicious sight of the blond.

Roxas gasped when Axel suddenly knelt down on one of his knees, bowing to him. The beings that were gathered in the throne room watched in awe. This was the first wedding that had ever taken place in the Underworld for thousands of years past. To see the King bowing down to his bride was quite a shock to every one of them.

There was yet another silence.

Roxas felt…awkward, but at the same time happy, the intense emotion of happiness overflowing and multiplying deep inside of him. He merely stared, unable to speak or produce anything coherent in his brain.

"This is for you, My Queen." The King spoke, smirking as he raised his head to stare deep into the angel's cerulean eyes.

"I…" Roxas breathed, slowly reaching out to take the feather. "To…bind us together?..." he said uncertainly.

"Two as one." The Healer added.

The angel swallowed, then…as he touched the feather, the burning feather started to glow and dim repeatedly and then, it emitted one final glow as it slowly changed its form. The feather changed into a star shaped ornament, golden colored. Roxas watched the ornament. It was a ring with the star shaped ornament above it.

Axel stood up then, taking the ring, and gently taking Roxas' left hand. Affectionately, he slipped in the ring into Roxas' ring finger.

Roxas was breathless. Not knowing how to react or response in front of the whole inhabitant that lived in the Underworld, he kept an emotionless expression. The ring was in his hand and the binding ceremony had been sealed. So…he was the Queen of the Underworld now?

"Long live the King. Long live to the Queen." The Healer said.

And there were loud cheers ringing across the Underworld.

"They're married." Demyx grinned, shaking his head in disbelieve.

"They are." Zexion commented.

"I still can't believe this." Demyx wiped a single tear off of the corner of his eyes.

Zexion narrowed his eyes. "Don't make such a huge drama out of it." He commented as he walked away to take a glass of purple colored drink.

Demyx blew raspberry.

--

"_Long live the King. Long live to the Queen."_

"Interesting turn of events, Roxas… You'll do as I say, right? My sweet, innocent…Roxas… so breakable and so fragile. My angel…"

The man sat there in darkness, chuckling darkly under his breath, watching the events unfolding before him in the opening in the clouds. There was a tiny bit of light shining to lit the area from the opening.

He smirked again. "My little angel…"

--

After that, Roxas had to sit on the throne with Axel beside him. Apparently, a throne had been prepared for him, albeit smaller, placed beside the King's throne. He sat there all day, as well as Axel. His hands were always place on his lap, muttering something about how short the front of his dress was. His eyes never leaving the sight of the star shaped ring that graced his ring finger.

"A Paopu Fruit, right?" Roxas muttered amidst the crowds and ruckus in the throne room, not glancing at the King. "Sharing the same destiny, under the same sky." He added.

Axel nodded.

"You told that to me once…" Roxas smiled.

Axel chuckled. "Glad you remembered."

"I think my memory is all coming back now."

"Good, don't let it be messed around with again." Axel commented.

"Axel… do you know?" A pause. "Do you know that… the sky is blue…as long as we think it is?"

"Huh?"

"Somehow… the sky… feels…red to me now…and it's disappearing…swallowed slowly by the immense darkness."

"Roxas?"

Roxas grinned. "Sorry. Kidding." He giggled, smiling up to the King.

Axel seized the angel's wrist and pulled the blond flushed to him, tucking the lithe body in between him. He leaned in to kiss the blond, pressing his lips gently, at the same time demanding. Roxas kissed back affectionately, wringing his hand in the King's red locks. They separated a while later.

"Your hair felt a lot neater now."

"Demyx cut away a huge amount of it."

"It's still long." Roxas contemplated. "But I love it. I love you."

"I love you."

And the Paopu Ring once again, glowed.

--

"_Roxas…Roxas… you know that your destiny is in my hands. If you won't do as I say… I just have to make you do it…my beloved angel…"_

_--_

When the party was finally over, The King and The Queen headed into their chamber. Roxas headed into the chamber first, waiting for the King. He had changed into his usual attire, out of the dress. His face was flushed and he bit his lower lips. He sat on the huge bed that suddenly felt so alien to him even though it had been several times since he spent his time on the bed with the King ever since the first time he came to the Underworld.

He hugged the blanket close and swallowed as soon as he heard the door opened.

"Miss me?" Axel grinned.

"No." Roxas stated bluntly.

Axel chuckled. "So, what color is the sky now?"

"Huh? Oh… I think it's becoming a shade of green and blue now and I think I heard the birds chirping and the clouds white…"

Axel stood closer and pulled the blond into a hug. Roxas smiled, burying his face into the hollow of Axel's neck, breathing in and out calmly there.

"_Don't rebel, Roxas. You know I don't like it when you don't listen to me."_

Roxas jolted up suddenly, hearing the voice in his head, and he pushed the King away. "I…I'm sorry." He said, clutching the pocket of his pants.

"You look pale." Axel watched intently.

"I'm okay. I guess…" Roxas sat back on the bed. "I'm just…tired."

"It's been a long day." Axel commented. His face was thoughtful. He knew the blond was hiding something. "We should go to bed."

Roxas swallowed. "Is that okay with you?"

"Sure." The King shrugged.

Roxas nodded. "Okay…"

And the angel laid down on the comfort of the bed, hiding his face in the pillow. He heard the King changing, but he was still clutching the pockets of his pants…the poison…the poison that God gave him together with the letter. His mission… to poison the King in the wedding… he… he didn't do as the King said. He took in a deep, shaky breath.

He yelped when suddenly, he felt his body being pulled into a comforting embrace. He could feel the heat radiated from the King's body and he leaned in comfortably, turning around to face the King. He hid his face in the King's chest, breathing in slowly.

"Sleep, My Queen."

Roxas giggled. "It's so funny when you regarded me as the Queen."

The King nuzzled into the blond's golden locks. "Why's that?" he said lazily.

"Because…it makes me feel as if I have superiority over you." Roxas grinned.

Axel chuckled. "Oh, I remember that time you were being dominant, it seemed you were enjoying it immensely."

Roxas blinked, remembering back the time when he was drugged and… "How dare you say that! You drugged me!" he protested.

"Did not. Larxene did it."

"But you agreed to it." Roxas pouted.

"Yeah, yeah. Now sleep." Axel smirked, effectively dismissing the topic.

Roxas grumbled for a bit before he started breathing slowly and went into his land of slumber.

--

The room was dark, lighted only by the torch that was burning silently, hanging on the walls of the room. There was silence. The only sound that could be heard was the calm breathes of the Angel and the redhead.

Roxas suddenly shifted, waking up with a blank expression in his face. His eyes shot open…his eyes… dark and brown, lifeless…soulless. The angel sneaked out of the King's embrace, standing up, and there were the noises of the rustles of clothes.

Roxas summoned Oblivion, gripping it tightly in his hands. He hesitated for a bit, staring at the sleeping form of the King. His ring glowed gorgeously in the dark, as if panicking.

And he raised his hand that was holding Oblivion, holding it with both of his hands above his head with the tip of the blade facing down, gripping tightly as if hanging on to his life itself. He aimed for the King's heart…

Without any hesitation…he stabbed Oblivion down to the place he was aiming…

The King's heart…

The Keyblade--would do its job and take away the God of the Underworld's heart.

"_My lovely…lovely Angel… You'll obey me, won't you?"_

--

Okay, I FAIL immensely in describing fashion. PLEASE, do not bug me on what Axel's wearing… Just give it some imagination and dress him us as you like. O_o –killed- No, I mean seriously… the fashion description is exactly what delayed this whole fic for a MONTH. I decided to get the hell with it and just forget about it.. If I don't... this chapter will never be updated at all... So, I'm so sorry. I know it's my job to give you the picture… but it won't come out no matter how much I tried. SORRY!! D : -murdered-

Hope you enjoyed anyway even with my extremely epic PHAIL… D :

An update on Harmony of the Sky and Dark Underworld on the same day. : D And… D : mannn, this is sooo different from writing Harmony of the Sky. I have to shift a lot of my emotions when I'm changing from writing Harmony of the Sky to Dark Underworld. Cliff hang.

Hope you enjoyed.

Lastly, check poll in my profile~

Thanks!


	15. It's Over

**Disclaim**: The God is the God in Dark Underworld. There is no reference whatsoever or anything directed to a religion or belief. And if Kingdom Hearts is mine. This whole fic will be exactly what happened in the game. =w=

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 15**

**It's Over**

Axel's eyes immediately jolt open as soon as he sensed danger on him. In a matter of seconds, he summoned his chakrams and with speed so fast, he successfully repelled the blond's attack, all the while jumping up and dashing away from the blond. "Roxas?" he called out, already jolted wide awake from his deep slumber.

Roxas' breathes were deep and raked, loud and full of malice. "Kill…" he muttered.

"What?" Axel narrowed his eyes, asking in a deep and calm tone, not at all shocked or surprised, maintaining his demeanor well.

"God's will. King… of …the Underworld… mus..t… die…" Roxas breathed, head hung so low that his face was barely seeable. He clutched his keyblade tight, seemingly ready to attack.

The King took his stance, ready anytime to parry or repel any oncoming attack. He was sure that it was not Roxas. Had God finally stoop so low as to control his servant's soul? There was no doubt about it, Roxas must be controlled—like a doll, being pulled at its strings, unable to do anything about it. "Roxas, snap out of it!" Axel yelled, hoping that Roxas would be able to fight God's control.

There was no other words spared, Roxas lunged to attack the redhead. His speed and accuracy was so precise that it was scary. His lithe body dashed back and forth, assaulting the King without mercy. The King countered and parried every single attack successfully, watching closely for Roxas' every single move, reading what Roxas was trying to do next.

What Axel saw was something that he had never seen before. That was definitely _not_ Roxas even though the angelic blond still maintained some certain characteristic in him, but the angel had definitely changed in power and speed. He was so fast, cruel, and merciless, slicing and dashing, never missing a single opportunity to injure his opponent.

Axel didn't attack, he merely parried and blocked the on-coming attack which got him into a very difficult position. If this kept on, he would be on the losing side soon. However, there was no way for him to attack the blond. There was no way for him to attack his Queen, his newly wedded bride.

God had calculated _everything_.

"Tsk…"

"Die!" Roxas yelled, stabbing his Oblivion up front, but was again, blocked successfully by the King with a whirl of his chakram.

Roxas suddenly ceased, dashing away and standing straight in front of the King, a few feet away. His breathing was heavy, panting as well as the King's. He suddenly raised his head and laughed a maniacal laughed. Laughing and laughing. His laughter rang across the room, filling the dark room with creepy and eerie sounds of his maniacal laughter. His eyes were black, no shine, no emotion, no life.

"Axel…" he laughed, grinning happily. "I love you!" he grinned again, eyes droopy, mouth curving up into a scary grin. "Do you know that the sky is blue? It's blue! It's blue every time I'm with you!"

Axel watched, narrowing his eyes, comprehending the situation, never losing his focus and attention on his precious blond. Something was wrong…what was God planning to do?

Roxas dropped the keyblade. Oblivion was pulled down by gravity, the metallic weapon touching and clanking on the floor as it fell and finally it stilled to a silent as it rested on the cold ground. Roxas stretched and opened his arms wide, welcoming Axel into his embrace. "I love you!" he smiled, almost too eerie to be true. "Don't you love me?" he pouted then when Axel wasn't going to hug him. "Hey, don't you love me?" he tilted his head to the side.

"Roxas." Axel stood straight. _What's he playing?_

"Axel!" The blond exclaimed. "Why don't you come closer to me?" the blond pouted again, biting his lower lips, sighing. "Why? Do you hate me? Was it all a lie?" he hung his head low, watching the redhead with his mouth slightly parted. "Are you afraid of me?" he looked hurt.

"You're not Roxas."

"What? Why? But I am! I am Roxas! See? I have blond hair… I have this…"

"Your eyes are not blue." Axel pointed out. "You're not Roxas."

"Why? Are my eyes _that_ important? Why? Why do you hate me now?" Roxas pouted again.

"I don't ha…" Axel watched in disgust. Did God really think that he could get him with this cheap tactic?

"Axel… You know I love you…" the blond knelt down in rejection.

"Your eyes _are_ important. That's the first part of you that I fell in love with. And your smile is fake. What are you trying to play? What are you trying to pull, _God_?"

"God? But I'm Roxas… Did you mean…that you won't love me anymore without my eyes and my smiles? Axel…"

"…"

"But, I love you no matter what."

"Snap out of it, Roxas."

"Axel…"

For a while there, Axel could see a hint of the blond, but he was not sure. It was so fast.

"Axel!" Roxas shouted, his eyes turning back to his usual cerulean again.

"Roxas. Are you there?"

Then suddenly, Roxas stood up and laughed maniacally again. His eyes turning back to shades of gray. "I'm here." The blond answered, a smile present in his face. He leaned down to take the Keyblade. Further proving that he was not Roxas.

Then, Roxas lunged again for the King, quickly sidestepping when he was close, giving a sharp turn, and quickly going to the King's back. Axel anticipated the move and effectively, he blocked the attack even though it was really close. Roxas pushed away and launched in again for another attack. When their weapons clashed, Roxas stood there, pushing against the King and his eyes went back to its usual brilliant blue again. "Axel…kill me…" the blond sigh, muttering desperately. "Kill me…" a single tear fell from the brilliant blue eyes.

Axel took in a shaky breathe. "What are you saying?! Snap out of it!" he yelled.

And then, there was another series of maniacal laughter. Roxas had pulled back and dashed away from the redhead. He chuckled. "Ahaha, kill me! Kill me! C'mon, King. Kill me!!!" he yelled, seemingly amused beyond all reasons.

Axel lunged forward, attacking the blond, injuring Roxas in the face. "Kill me, Axel. Don't hesitate." Roxas smiled his sincerest smile, eyes turning back into their gentle blue. "For I have sinned. Everything's my fault… everything…"

Axel paused. And Roxas turned back into his other self again, taking chance of the opening and effectively slicing through the King's abdomen. Axel groaned, quickly pulling back, effectively pulling himself out of the keyblade. His abdomen bled heavily.

There was suddenly a loud noise outside the room. "What is going on in there?! Axel?!" It was Larxene. "Why is there barrier?"

"My King!" it was the leader of the Grim Reaper. "Zexion should be able to break through this barrier." Marluxia informed from outside the room.

"I'll go inform him." Larxene said. "I know something's wrong with Roxas." She muttered.

"I'll go with you."

And then there was no noise outside the room anymore.

Axel panted heavily, feeling the searing and soaring pain from his stomach, he clutched the wound tightly, preventing blood from flowing out even more.

"Axel!" Roxas voice was filled with concern and guilt. The blond angel shook his head. And the ring began to glow, shining. "Ax…" the ring shone even more.

And there was a bright light emanating from the ring. Roxas gasped as a keyblade formed in his left hand, his right hand still gripping tight to oblivion. The ring disappeared and in his left hand was a white keyblade…so pure and white with the same yellow star shaped ornament hanging as a keychain on the keyblade. "Oathkeeper…" Roxas mouthed.

"Two?" Axel commented, still panting from the pain of his injury.

Roxas sensed that he was about to be taken over again. He threw oblivion away—the dark side of him—and gripped Oathkeeper firmly with both of his hands. Taking in a deep breath, he stared at the tip of Oathkeeper, the beautiful and newly formed keyblade. "Goodbye, Axel… I'm so sorry…" he shook his head, forcing a sincere smile to his face. Taking a last look on Axel, the blond swallowed.

Axel was about to run over to stop the blond.

Roxas seemed to be battling himself for a while.

"_You can't do that."_

"I can do whatever the hell I want." Roxas countered, grunting.

Before Axel could do anything…Roxas stabbed the Oathkeeper to his heart with such huge force that the tip immediately went to the back of his body, blood streaming out endlessly, and then…there were bright lights…floating and flying in the darkness of the night, disappearing into the void. Roxas knelt on the floor as the keyblade slipped out of his heart, clanking down on the floor beside him. The blond fell on the floor and laid still there, eyes closed, feeling his life seeping away, no longer able to breathe.

"Roxas!" the redhead yelled, quickly dashing close to the blond. He knelt down and picked Roxas up, placing the angel's head on his lap. "Roxas." He sighed, eyes narrowed.

There was no life. The blond was not moving….the blond was still.

And then, there were speckle of lights coming out from the blond's body, going out of the room, as if flying to a destined destination. The angel…the angels' body began vanishing, turning transparent, taken away by the light. And then… Axel couldn't feel the weight on his lap anymore. He couldn't feel Roxas anymore. Roxas vanished, disappearing into the void…into nothingness. And there was silence. Then…Oblivion and Oathkeeper also disappeared, Oblivion into the darkness and Oathkeeper into a soft, calming light…then, Oathkeeper dematerialized and transformed back into the wedding ring.

Axel stared blankly into his empty hand. Slowly, he picked up the ring, grabbing it in his palm.

"_Roxas_…"

--

_Sora… It looks like…it's over…for me. Take care of Axel, will you?_

--

"Zexion…" Demyx whispered, stepping outside to join Zexion in the room's balcony, watching the full moon shining gorgeously amidst the darkness of the sky. Hesitantly, he put a hand on Zexion's shoulder, resting it there gently, giving a comforting gesture.

Zexion didn't turn nor respond to anything, merely standing there, watching the moon in the sky. His perfectly shaped and pale face was softly touched by the beautiful moonlight.

"Are you okay?" Demyx tried a grin, standing beside the lilac haired man. When he was about to retract his hand, Zexion grasped it, and let it stayed on his shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" he asked back with a tone so plain.

"I'm good. Roxas and Axel are happy. It's really great for both of them. I'm happy."

"Yeah…" Zexion retracted his hand, head hanging low.

"Why?"

"I sense something… something bad will happen."

"What? What are you saying?!" Demyx demanded, turning Zexion around so he could look straight into the other male's eyes.

Zexion looked away. "There's no star tonight…" he stated calmly, thoughtfully.

"What's that got to do with anything?!" Demyx demanded again, in a huge panic. "Damn, don't let anything happen to separate them again. They don't deserve all of those!" he let Zexion go and was about to run out of the room to check on the King and the Queen before he was stopped by the other male.

"Look!" Zexion pointed to the sky.

"Those lights… What?!"

They watched as the sparkles and freckles of lights that looked like stars flew by the moon, heading towards an unknown direction, circling around, led by a pure white butterfly.

If it weren't for the fact that Zexion and Demyx had a very bad premonition, they would have enjoyed the beautiful sight and scenery.

"Zexion! Are you here?!!!" Larxene barged into the room. There was a sweep of relieve across the Lilim's face. "We searched everywhere in the lab! You have to come! There's a huge ruckus and a barrier around the King's room! Hurry! Marly's with Vexen, already there to figure out what's happening. They…" before the Lilim could finish her explanation, Demyx already dashed out of the room and Zexion had already summoned and portal and disappeared into it.

--

In the faraway corner of the stream of life…a boy with chocolate colored hair, trapped in the green and white hues of the stream, amidst the souls of the death, opened his eyes slowly as the sparkle of lights flowed and vanished inside his body. His eyes so blue and his breathing so slow and calm…he stretched, yawning a bit. He watched as the lights slowly dissipated inside him. "What's this?" he whispered in awe, but as the lights disappeared, he grinned.

"It felt like I've slept for so long!!!" he yawned happily, rubbing his eyes. "Have I slept _that_ long, Roxas?" he asked, sighing. "Huh? Where's this?" he muttered, looking around.

He breathed in deeply, swimming around the area, only soon to come face to face with a very very pale and very very old face. He yelped, blinking for a while before calming down. "Uhm, do you know where this is?" he asked innocently, scratching the back of his neck.

All he had for a response was a loud shriek.

"Erm, you don't have to be mad." He pouted, watching as the spirit flew passed him and disappeared.

"This is such a weird place." He mumbled again, looking around. There were spirits and souls and ghouls floating and flying everywhere. He heaved a deep sigh, not seeming to be scared at all.

"Alright…" he sat down finally, floating amidst the sea of blue-green hues, Indian-style. "Think Sora, think…" he chanted, tapping his index finger against his chin, looking up to his imaginative ceiling, bottom lip sticking out in a pout, thinking _hard_.

"What did I do before I fell asleep?" he narrowed his eyes, still thinking.

"Where's Roxas? Huh…" he narrowed his eyes even more, as if he could _see_ the answer if he focus his eyes closely at one point.

_Sora… It looks like…it's over…for me. Take care of Axel, will you?_

Sora gasped, jolting up from where he was sitting. "Roxas? Roxas? Where are you?"

He looked around in panic. "Oh no, oh no… don't tell me." He took in a deep breath, expression grimaced. He heaved a deep sigh. "Roxas… you can't… what are you doing?!" he shook his head in disappointment. "Why?"

"…Axel! Wait…Riku!..."

--

Riku frowned. He felt as if he had stopped breathing. He stood there, watching, and observing cautiously, face to face with the so-called God. He took in a deep shaky breath. "You're not God! What…?..." he shook his head in disbelieve, slowly backing away.

"Oh, but I am, Riku. I'm the one who has been ruling Celestia all along." God smirked, sitting calmly on his throne, watching both the silver head and blonde angel closely.

Riku summoned his keyblade, Way of the Dawn, and almost instantly, he lunged forward, spreading his wings, and flew to attack God. With a flick of a hand, Riku was blasted away with a force so intense. His back hits the white clouds that had apparently formed a wall behind him.

God giggled. "Haha, I can't have you die, _just_ yet, Riku. You'll be a very interesting component to control your lovely Sora. You see, things haven't been going my way." God tilted his head to the side. "Naminé, you have been useless all this time. It is time for you to return to me."

"Yes…God." Naminé answered calmly, without emotion, in a platonic tone.

"Good girl."

"What…are you?" Riku hissed, holding his sides in pain, blood coming out of his mouth, gripping Way of the Dawn firmly.

"Oh, I'm God."

"You little brat!"

God flicked his hand. "You see, Riku. For it is said in the Ten Commandments, 'I am the Lord your God. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of your God.' Got it memorized?" he tilted his head to the side again, grinning brightly, flicking his hand once again and Riku doubled over in pain, groaning.

The silver head angel could feel his stomach tossing and burning, his insides churning as if eager to come out of his frail body. He could feel his throat and heart constricting. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't move. And soon, he was swallowed by the overwhelming darkness. "You…brat…" he whispered.

"Always the grumpy and sulky one, aren't you, Riku? Naminé, return."

"Yes, God."

Namine closed her eyes, breathing in and out slowly, feeling herself dissipating and slowly dematerialized, vanishing from the world. A red stone formed in God's hand.

"Very good." A pause. "My Roxas, my angel… why won't you be a good boy like you used to?" God said in a sad tone. "I love you, My Roxas. Why do you have to go and kill yourself?" he grimaced. "It's Axel…isn't it…Axel…" he hissed, crushing the stone that was in his hand. "Axel…" he trembled in anger and malice.

--

"Stop." A calm and thoughtful voice resounded in the area.

Xion stopped in her track to hunt down Demyx. "Valentine…" she hissed.

"Xion… what are you doing?"

"I'm obeying God's order." She answered in a flat, emotionless tone.

Vincent pointed his gun at the angel, then he fired a bullet, cutting through a feather of Xion's wings. "Quit and I will spare you."

Xion drew out her blade. "You think you can defeat me?"

"I _know_ I can, Xion." Vincent said calmly, his red eyes glimmering in malice.

"Valentine, you don't know what you're doing."

"You are both a failure to the Underworld and the Celestia." Vincent countered. "Your existence is of no meaning."

"I don't need any meaning. As long as… I have God and Naminé…"

_BANG_!

Another resounding gun-shot, cutting through the edge of Xion's hair. Xion didn't falter, her expression was determined. She swallowed, glaring at the man before him. She took her stance, preparing.

"I see it has come to this…" Vincent closed his eyes in grieve.

"Good bye, Vincent."

"Farewell, Xion…"

And there were metals clanking and rays of bullets painting the beautiful blue sky.

--

"How are things?!" Larxene yelled, asking Marluxia and Vexen, who had been inspecting the area.

"It's been quiet ever since… not a single sound." Marluxia answered.

"The barrier's disappeared." Vexen informed.

"What?" Demyx blinked.

Without anymore delay, he barged into the room, followed by Zexion, Larxene, Marluxia, and Vexen. And they stopped in their track.

The room was quiet… Silent, not a single sound.

There was only the King, kneeling in the middle of the room, bleeding severely.

"My King!" Larxene shouted, but paused when she knew that she should keep quiet.

The chakrams scattered in the room carelessly and dully. The King was staring blankly into the palm of his hand, holding the wedding ring.

"What… happened?" Demyx whispered, slowly stepping closer to his best friend. "Axel?" he whispered again, gently…so gentle, afraid that the King might break. "Hey…Axel?"

Zexion hid his expression behind his bangs, grieving and mourning as well as Larxene. Marluxia watched and Vexen merely observed, figuring out what was happening and finding a way that might fix the unanswered question.

There was no sounds, no voice. It was silent. The King wasn't saying anything. Demyx gently rested his hand on the King's shoulder, offering support and comfort.

There was no need for words… no need for explanation… it was clear.

Roxas was gone…

"_It's over."_

…

--

Fast Update even though the last chapter wasn't as well received. =w= 'sides, I love all of you guys who are reading, reviewing, alerting, and faving. –hopes for the review counter to reach 300?- -shot- and I don't want you to be hanged in a cliff. So, here no cliffie. But this is NOT the end. No, not yet. AkuRoku is _forever_. : D

I'll keep quiet for now. I hope you all will still stay with me even with all of this. Hate me…if you must… D: -orz-


	16. Full Scale War

**Special Thanks: **Aww, yay! 300 reviews –craze- Thanks to **Mei Lynn 64** for making it come true. : D and from now on, she shall be able to read a sneak peak to the new chapters that I wrote. :3 And of course, thank you so much too to everyone. And again, without **Mei Lynn 64, **this chapter would have been stuck for a month, at least. : D I was about to give up on it. –orz- I'll start working on Harmony of the Sky…maybe. : D

Enjoy!

**Chapter 16**

**Full Scale War**

The King didn't speak of anything after the event, remaining silent, face blank without expression, not even grimacing, not showing any sadness. Demyx had moved the redhead so he could sit on the bed. But still, Axel showed no response at all, as if he was already dead to the world—dead together with the blond. His eyes no longer showed its brilliant emerald anymore. His eyes no longer shine in its full pride and cockiness anymore—no longer beaming as how it used to when he was with the angel. He was no longer alive.

That didn't last long…

The next day…

The King was already in his throne, suddenly summoning all the inhabitants of the Underworld to the throne room. Everyone gathered, grieving and mourning for the Queen's death, already been informed by the King's servants who had found out firsthand. They were silent, no longer as chatty as they used to, no one disobeyed the King or even discussed the event. They could feel the heavy atmosphere that was formed—it was similar as what had happened to the previous King.

Axel raised his head, looking at every last one of his servant with eyes so cold and cruel. "Prepare yourselves. We're going out on a full scale war with Celestia as soon as possible. Those who do not agree with this decision can stay behind. Those that agree will come with me. I will lead the war. We will destroy Celestia." He said coldly, hands forming fists. "Bring every weapons that you need, use any resources that are available in the Underworld." He added. "I deeply appreciate all of your devotion and dedication for the Underworld throughout the decades. I will not blame any of you if all of you stay behind. I will have a war by myself if I have to." His cold emerald eyes struck deep inside all the beings' heart.

"Who says you're going to a war by yourself, Your Highness? The Lilims will stay with you all the way, even if it meant our kind shall perish." Larxene said with determination. "Aren't that right, girls?" she asked the minions of Lilims that are gathered there.

All the Lilims giggled, squealed, squeaked, and cheered excitedly. "Yes!"

"We're going to do anything for the King."

"I…I'm sorry, but I have to…back out… I… I have a family… I can't…"

Everyone turned to stare at the Lilim that was backing away slowly from the crowds. She was terrified.

"You may go." The King spoke, his voice flat and deep.

"Huh?" the Lilim was surprised. She had thought that she would be killed and butchered into pieces for saying that.

"You can go." The King repeated again. "I won't force anyone into a war." He stated.

There was silence. Every being looked at each other uncertainly, filled with doubt and anxiety. "Thank you, thank you very much. My husband and I will be praying for the war. Thank you, My King…" the lilim said, bowing her head before running out of the throne room, alive and not killed by the King.

The King turned to stare at the crowds that were gathered there.

"I…I have to go to… I can't…go on another war…"

"M-Me too…I'm so sorry."

"I-I'd rather stay behind in the castle."

"I can't fight. I'll watch over the stream of life."

And then, the room was filled with mumbles and mutters.

"Go."

With a single command from the King, almost half of the crowds left the throne room. And there were only a number of them left. Marluxia, Vexen, Zexion, Demyx, and Larxene stayed there. Some grim Reapers were gather behind their leader, a minion of Lilims behind Larxene, some dusks, ghouls, werewolves, Healers, Singers, Snipers, Devils, Ogres, Dark Knights, Lowly Dark Soldiers, and…

Suddenly, an angel flew into the throne room, one very rare Fallen Angel who looked too much like the Queen. Too similar—but no one had ever noticed him before.

"I'm not here for the war. I'm here under the name of the Queen of Celestia. To relay a message to the King and…observe." Said the angel with dark, black wings. Even though his voice was much deeper compared to that of Roxas', his feature, every part of him looked a lot alike Roxas.

There was a sudden jolt inside the King's feature, but his expression remained merciless and cold. "Speak."

Another angel flew in, opposite to the other Fallen Angel, this one was a girl with wings white and pure, and her hair blue with a look of determination in her face, as determined as the other blond angel.

The Underworld beings in the throne room were alerted, immediately took their stances in case the angels decided to do something that would harm the King.

"We will observe." Said the female angel. "And help…if needed."

Both the angels knelt down on one of their knees. "Under the orders of the late Queen Aerith, we shall serve under you." They spoke in a synch.

"My name is Aqua, Your Highness."

"And I'm Ventus."

"Aerith…"

"The Queen is deceased. She went to talk to God over a week ago and never came back." Aqua informed.

"We are two of her most trusted angels. The other one being Riku, but Riku also disappeared." Ventus stated, his voice was so similar in a way to Roxas' that everyone couldn't help but stare, only to find more similarities between the Queen and the Fallen Angel. "And it seems that Roxas has also disappeared as well." He stated calmly, almost too calm.

"Celestia is falling apart…" Aqua stood up, her face grimaced. "The Queen is lost, and now Riku and Roxas…and also Naminé…"

"What happened to Riku and Roxas?!" a voice yelled suddenly and a small figure of a brunet ran into the Throne Room, approaching the two angels that were standing there.

"You're the…" Zexion spoke.

"Keyblader…" Marluxia spoke in a low, dark tone.

"Sora... I see…" Axel stated. "So, Roxas has returned to you."

"Roxas returned to me?" Sora gasped. "…I should have guessed as much… how could you let him do that, Axel?!" he shouted. "You should have prevented him from doing that! A soul that is stabbed with the keyblade…"

"Mind your tone with the King!" Larxene yelled.

"Is lost…forever…" the King stated bluntly.

"Roxas…"

"Hey, Roxas will be alright, right?" Demyx forced a grin, trying to calm the situation. "Can…can we just search around the stream of life and bring him back? You all can do that, right?"

"Demyx…" Zexion placed a hand on the Mohawk blond's shoulder. He shook his head. "Roxas' soul has returned to Sora. He's not in the stream of life. He's _inside_ Sora."

"Well then, return him! Return him, Sora!" Demyx frowned, running over to shake Sora.

"I…I can't…" Sora whispered, desperate.

"I thought the Keyblader went missing after the war. Where have you been, child?" Vexen inquired.

"By the time I woke up…I'm inside the stream of life… I'm trapped there after the war. God told me to sleep and slumber peacefully there and I did until it is time for me to wake up again."

"For thousands of years…" Marluxia whispered, trying to connect the pieces.

"Who's this God anyway?" Larxene muttered, frowning.

"No one ever saw him. No one knows his face…except for maybe…Roxas and the Queen…and possibly Riku…" Ventus informed. "Roxas should know God very well." He said thoughtfully.

"Celestia is also having a gathering right now, under God…discussing about the war that is unavoidable. They see us all…they see our actions through the Eye. I wouldn't be surprised if they are watching and listening in to this conversation right now."

"I've formed a barrier. It wouldn't be as easy for them to do so." The King spoke. "Unless you two are going to go back to Celestia to inform them of the news."

"We're here on your side, my King." Ventus bowed.

"We will be your eyes and wings." Aqua added.

Axel stared. "Very well."

"Roxas…" Sora put his hands on his chest. "Roxas…can you hear me?" he closed his eyes, trying his very best to communicate with his twin, but there was no response.

"Roxas is gone." Axel stood up, speaking calmly. "Think of what is ahead." He walked over, about to leave the room. "The war will be commenced soon. Prepare yourselves." He spoke, tone icy cold.

"How could you say that, Axel?! How could you?! Roxas!" Demyx yelled. "Roxas did _everything _for you! He did _everything_, just for you. How could you be so heartless?"

"…"

"Axel…you've changed… what…" Demyx sighed, watching in disbelieve.

"Axel, are you okay?" Sora asked.

For a while there, Axel thought he had heard Roxas.

_Cheer up, Axel. I'm not dead yet. Is your head __that__ thick? You're the King, for God's sake._

"Axel?" Sora rested his hand on the King's shoulder, already standing beside Axel.

"…Vexen, I have some questions for you. Follow me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And also, Zexion."

"Yes, My King."

And they were out of the room, Axel not sparing even a single glance.

"Axel…" Demyx sighed again.

"I've never seen the King… so…"

"His anguish and misery…it was the same as the past King's." Marluxia commented.

"He's going to seek revenge, is he not?" Larxene muttered. "For the late Queen of the Underworld."

"Roxas…"

"I shall have a talk with the King." Ventus offered, flying out of the room to join Axel.

"Why the heck does he look so much like the Queen anyway?" Larxene voiced out the question that everyone was desperate to inquire, frowning.

"Roxas is special." Aqua stated bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"I have nothing more to add to that."

"Sora… you must know something." Demyx looked at the brunet who was standing there, watching the figures disappeared.

"Know something?" Sora frowned, looking at Demyx quizzically.

"Roxas... do you feel him anywhere? What's happening in Celestia?"

Sora looked at everyone that was standing in front of him, the shifted his attention to somewhere else, shaking his head. "I don't know…I just woke up and the next thing I know… Roxas is already…I don't feel him anywhere…" he frowned, head hanging low.

--

"Hey, wait!" Ventus shouted, flying over to the direction of the King.

Axel stopped on his track, not turning around.

"Is there something you need?" Zexion asked sternly, giving a distrust glare at the angel.

"What?" Ven stopped.

"We _never _trust angels." Vexen stated, glaring behind his blond bangs.

"What do you want?" Axel asked in his icy tone.

"Can I have a talk with you?" Ven inquired, ignoring the glares he was receiving, holding his gaze firm.

Axel turned, watching the blond angel who bore too many resemblances to Roxas. "Speak."

"Just the two of us." Ven tilted his eyes to the side, voice firm.

There was a pause before the King answered, "Alright. Vexen, Zexion, I will be in the underground lab shortly. Wait for me there."

"Yes, My King."

The two scientists walked off. Zexion was about to voice his concern, but decided to keep quite.

Ventus watched as the two figures disappeared. Then, he looked over to the King. "How are you doing?" he smiled.

"…"

"That's what Roxas would say, right? With the correct expression, I might be able to pull him off." Ventus added.

"You're not Roxas."

"I'm a substitute. I'm created by God to substitute for Roxas in case anything happen to him." Ventus informed, his tone flat and deep.

"Roxas can never be substituted." Axel replied, looking at anywhere but at Ven's eyes.

Ven smiled. "Roxas must be happy to have you. You know… You also…bear a resemblance to someone I know…" his face straightened, head tilted to the side, releasing a deep breath.

"…"

"He's… Terra's…" Ventus shifted his attention, looking away to the horizon that spread fast and wide in the balcony. The sight of burning volcanoes, the dark clouds, the everlasting crimson and darkness, the burning sensation…

"Terra…"

Ven grinned. "We're even."

"What happens to Aeris?"

"The Queen…she never came back… Celestia is in a grave danger and I'm sure everyone can sense it. But they choose to keep quiet over it. Even the archangels… we place our faiths in God. We believe that God will find an infinite purification for our souls. But the Queen knows that something is amiss with God… God… doesn't feel like God… she used to say."

"Doesn't feel like God?"

"God changed… by the time I was created and delivered to the Queen's side, God has changed. I don't know who God is. Roxas is the one who knows the most… He's the one closest to God and God loves Roxas. Everyone in Celestia knows that."

Axel narrowed his eyes, breathing calmly.

"The Queen also said that… God changed the most drastically the time Roxas went to the human world thousands of years ago."

Axel looked to the side, as if thinking.

"But no one knew what happened. We obey God."

"Then, why are you here?"

"As ordered by the Queen… Aqua and I can't continue living on in Celestia in that condition. Sooner or later, Celestia will be destroyed with whatever's going on. And now that the Queen is gone…that's all the more reason that we should fight beside you, Your Highness. Roxas must have realized that too. That's why he brought Sora back."

"Why Sora?"

"Because Sora is the chosen one."

"No, the chosen one is Roxas." The King stated firmly.

"And why do you say that?" Ven tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Because… he's Roxas."

With that said, the King summoned a portal and disappeared inside it.

Ven watched. "…I never thought the King of the Underworld can love…" he whispered. "Terra…"

--

The preparation for the war was commenced and the whole Underworld was busy. Some creatures went out to hunt for resources, some went to the forbidden zone in search for the strongest weapon—every being was preparing. Axel was in the Land of the Beasts, battling, drenched in sweat.

He was facing several mythical creatures… Phoenix, the bird that never dies. Cerberus, the three headed beasts, merciless and hungry for blood. And Specter, the ghost of the dead.

Axel was still, panting and sweating. Then, he threw the chakrams at Specter. The fire sheathed chakrams flew straight pass Specter without doing any damage. He immediately dodges as soon as he felt the dark aura about to enwrap him into the void, then he dodged another attack from Cerberus—with speed so fast, he shifted his attention to Phoenix who had began hurling fireballs at him. He suffered damage, clearly outnumbered by the mythical creatures.

But he was not going to give up. It was a good training—and besides…the pain that seeped into his being made him felt good for a moment. It made him forget. Forget about all the troubles and dilemmas…

He had to become stronger.

--

"The stage…will be the Promised Ground." Aqua informed. "All Celestians will be gathered there." She added, bowing her head to the King.

"Alright. We will move out tomorrow morning. Gather the Teleporters and have them set up the Gateway to the Promised Ground. Have a good rest in the night." The King spoke, staring into the eyes of his loyal subjects. "Dismiss."

And soon, the just crowded throne room was emptied.

"You know, Axel. You don't look so well." Larxene commented when all the servants were out.

Axel stared dully.

"You should have a good rest yourself." Sora smiled.

"I want you in your bedroom." Axel commented.

"What?" Sora flushed red, shaking his head.

"Wow, and I thought you're not sleeping well because of Roxas." Demyx frowned.

Axel didn't seem to be bothered by the misinterpretation. "I know you're planning on going ahead to Celestia, Sora."

"What?" Sora grinned innocently. "I didn't plan any of that."

"Roxas is a part of you. I won't let you go and risk his existence. You aren't allowed to go out of the Underworld until tomorrow when the war starts."

Sora smiled. "I'm not going anywhere." He said cheerfully.

"Demyx, watch him."

"Huh? Me?... okay…" Demyx answered, confused.

"I have recruited several angel knights who will aide you in this war, My King." Aqua informed. "They'll be ready at anytime under your command."

"Alright." Axel nodded.

"I will resume my experiment with Zexion." Vexen said, walking out of the throne room with Zexion.

"What experiment?" Demyx inquired.

"Crazy scientists." Larxene commented, giggling. "It would be neat if you two make some kinds of bombs that could kill on those Celestians in a blink of an eye." She suggested.

"We will not be in the war." Zexion informed.

"You're not?" Marluxia, who had been quiet, inquired.

"We will continue with research until the King commanded otherwise." Zexion turned to stare at the King.

"You will keep on researching until you find a definite answer." Axel spoke.

"Yes."

And with that, the two scientists left the area.

"What… answer?" Demyx muttered, knowing that even if he voiced his question out loud, no one would answer. Larxene and Marluxia seemed to have the same question too, but decided to keep it to themselves.

Aqua looked over to Ventus who was merely staying there with his back against the wall. Ventus had been really quiet. And Sora too…

--

It was a beautiful night. The sky was clear, no stars. But the full moon was shining brightly in the faraway part of the sky. Far, far away, up above Celestia. And in Celestia, far above the God's chamber…

"Ngggh…" Riku groaned, coming back to his consciousness. He could feel pain all over his body. As he tried to move his hand, he found out that his hand is tied up. When he opened his eyes fully, his eyes went wide in shock—he was crucified.

"Good morning, Riku." God greeted, sitting on his throne calmly as usual.

"You…" the silver head angel hissed. "Let me go. What are you doing?" he spoke, keeping his calm, trying to struggle away, but the ropes that were tying his ankles and arms to the crucifix were too tight.

"Oh, just watching you." God spoke, amused.

"You… why do you look so much like him…" Riku narrowed his eyes into slits, feeling disgust in his stomach.

"Why? How? What? Who? When? Where? All of the questions that are always given to me. And there are sometimes pleads and begs too, Riku. You know how annoying it is? You all are nothing but pawns, yet you are all begging for my mercy, begging for my protection and guidance, for my power. It's annoying."

"…who are you?" Riku questioned again.

"It doesn't matter who I am. Hey, Riku. Do you want to get a taste? To feel what it's like to be a savior? To feel what it's like to be God?"

"You're sick…"

"Oh, maybe I am. For I have witness so many selfish desires that are contained in all the beings' heart. It makes me wonder sometimes how a heart so small could contain so many…sickening desires. And now, Roxas is gone. That certainly won't do."

"Roxas is…what?" Riku frowned.

"Roxas is my everything. It won't do if he dies…"

"…" the silver head angel tried to make sense of what was happening—what was God implying, but he couldn't find any answer. His head throbbed and he could feel his body aching badly.

"Now, Riku." God tilted his head to the side, smiling eerily. "I know that you're a very calm and composed being. You're one of Aeris' most trusted angels. Too bad Aeris is gone now, huh?"

"Aeris is…"

"Oh, she's…somewhere…" God grinned. "Now…" he snapped his finger.

Riku took in a sharp, breath, gritting his teeth together as he felt a nail slowly seeping in his right palm. He took in yet another sharp breath as another nail worked on his left palm and then his feet, nailing them together to the crucifix. His whole body shook, trembled because of the intensity of the pain, and he screamed, closing his eyes together. His face contorted together in pain.

The nails kept working—deeper and deeper and deeper, pass his skin, his veins, his bone fractures, until… they finally reach the crucifix. And blood—crimson, streamed out, slowly dripping, and easing freely.

"You…" Riku took in one small breath, panting, head hanging low, not even having any energy left to talk. "Roxas…"

And God's laughter filled the entire sky, ringing and ringing—deafening and creating thunders.

--

Xion was panting, having successfully blocked the last rays of bullets that were showering down on her. She quickly flew away—losing all her energy. Vincent was fast, that was of no doubt and she was in a huge disadvantage. She was a short range fighter and Vincent could do both long and short range. The battle felt like it had continued on for an eternity. She was quickly losing her breathe. Her focus was disappearing.

Vincent shifted, creating another ray of bullets directed to the black winged angel. Xion hissed as a bullet passed through the edge her cheek, creating a beautiful trail of blood. She quickly dodged.

"Surrender." Vincent spoke.

"What's the matter, Vincent? Chickening out?" Xion smirked, staring with an intense glare.

"So be it."

Without any mercy, Vincent quickly whisked to the left and quickly reappearing behind Xion. He pointed his gun to the black haired angel. He closed his eyes as if mourning. It would be the end of Xion.

Xion gasped, her face contorted in utter terror. She took in a shaky breath and hung her head low, accepting her death. "I lost…" she whispered, losing her grip on her blade, dropping the blade. And the blade was dragged down by gravity, falling and falling, disappearing amidst the clouds until its destination couldn't be seen anymore.

"Good bye."

_Bang._

It rang throughout the sky…

--

Ven was standing in the balcony, watching the scenery from where he was. His eyes stared blankly into the horizon. Aqua, who had been searching for the angel, approached said angel. "Can't sleep?" the angel smiled.

"Hey, Aqua."

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing much." Ven answered dully, not looking at his friend.

"You know, that Axel…"

"I know." Ven released a sigh. "From the first time I lay my eyes on him, I already know."

"I don't know if we're talking about the same thing." Aqua chuckled, her blue hair concealing her face.

"He has the expression and the eyes of a dead man. It's not surprising at all."

"He's just like you in every sense when _that_ happened."

"Hey, at least I lived." Ven responded.

"Half."

"Yeah… I'll go talk to him."

"A friendly advice, Ven. He might not be happy that you're using his Queen's face to communicate with him."

Ven chuckled. "This face is mine. Roxas and I are completely different person. I am allowed to do what I want with this face."

"One question. What would you do if you meet someone who looks _exactly_ like Terra _right _after his death?"

"…"

"Exactly…"

--

Demyx knocked the door that led to Sora's room. Without waiting for any answer, he opened the door and walked in. "Hey."

Sora grinned. "You're here to watch me?"

"Yeah. Are you planning something?"

"Not at all." Sora grinned again even though his face looked weary and tired.

Demyx sat down beside Sora on the bed, staring at the brunet.

There was a moment of silence and Sora was beginning to feel uneasy that the Mohawk blond was staring at him like that out in the open. He frowned. "What are you looking at?"

Demyx groaned. "I still can't believe Roxas is inside you." He released a deep sigh.

"It's not something that I want."

"I know how you feel. I'm sorry. But you know, we're all still wary with the fact that we fought against you in the war."

"I know… that was my mistake. If I only look at things more from Roxas' side, none of this would have happened."

Demyx took in a deep breath. "So, you just woke up, right? Think you can fight?"

"…" Sora was quiet and then he closed his eyes, summoning Oathkeeper, standing up, and slashing the keyblade in the air. "Yeah. I think I can." He grinned.

"I've seen that keyblade before, but I still think that it's a cool keyblade." Demyx grinned.

"Yeah. Kairi gave it to me. I wonder how she's doing now." Sora smiled.

Demyx gasped, his face grimaced. "Kairi?"

"Huh? Yeah. Do you know her?" Sora chirped excitedly.

"Uh… no, no I don't." Demyx shook his head.

"Oh, I see. Hum… I still wonder what she's doing though…"

A pause.

"Oh hey…" Sora voiced, breaking the silence and dismissing Oathkeeper. "What about you. You're coming to the war too, right?"

"Of course. I've already got my sitar prepared too."

"I thought… I destroyed it last time?" Sora laughed.

Demyx summoned his sitar in his hand and he strummed the instrument. Water instantly burst out and drenched Sora.

"Ow, hey!" the brunet protested.

"That's for destroying my sitar." And Demyx strummed it once again. "And that's for Roxas." He smiled.

Sora groaned. "You're not human at all."

"Oh, I'm human alright." Demyx grinned.

_Roxas…_

"Huh?" Sora looked around. "What? Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"…" Sora looked around again.

_Riku? Riku…_

Sora summoned his keyblade again.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Sorry!" Sora took his keyblade and hit it to Demyx's back.

"What…" Demyx fainted.

Spreading his wings, Sora flew out of the window, into the darkness of the sky, gripping Oathkeeper tight. _Riku…please be alright._

_--_

There was a knock on the door. Axel, who was sitting all alone in his chamber groaned, indicating whoever it was to come in. He knew firsthand that it was Ven, the familiar aura. They might look the same, but their aura was significantly different.

"Am I interrupting?" Ven questioned, stepping in and closing the door.

No response.

"You should be sleeping, My King."

No response. "What are you doing here?" Axel asked.

"Just to check up, in case you decided to kill yourself over Roxas."

Axel chuckled. "And you think I'd do that because…"

"Well, you're certainly not weak. But everyone saw your grieve even though you're the one that showed the least concern of it all. But the one who showed the least concern is usually the same person who takes the matter so drastically."

"_Usually."_

"I have a feeling that you're one of those usual cases." Ven countered. "Roxas means a lot to you?"

"…"

"Roxas means a lot to everyone. He's the one that brings joy and happiness to every beings' heart. He sacrificed his own happiness and gave it to others. Everyone in Celestia adored him as far as I know. Even God loves him. Even so, I'm quite surprised that the God of the Underworld would fall for an angel—for Roxas too."

Axel looked out the window of his chamber.

"But, you know… Roxas is gone…and there's nothing you can do about it—no, I hope that you will do nothing about it. And the war is tomorrow. You should get some sleep, My King."

"Who are you to give me orders, Angel?"

"Oh, as someone who shared the same appearance as Roxas, I think I can do that. I think I know how Roxas would feel if he sees you in this condition. All that aside, it's not an order. It's a suggestion." Ven explained.

"It's not the end…"

"Nothing is the end until you die. It's the end…for Roxas." Ven said with a determination in his voice.

Axel turned to stare at the blond.

"I'm stating the truth. It's the end for those souls who are lost and it's the beginning for those who are still alive." Ven held his gaze firm. "You can't…you mustn't do anything to disrupt the cycle of life. You've already disrupted it so many times. And it's time for you to stop. And it's not an order. It's a suggestion." He added before Axel could say anything.

"…"

"And with that, I'll take my leave, my Liege. Have a good night sleep." Ven walked out of the room and disappeared behind the closed door.

Axel turned to stare blankly in the air. "Cycle of life…" he whispered, staring at his palm which was holding the paopu ring—the materialization of the Oathkeeper. "I need an answer…" he muttered under his breath before looking out the window again.

And the full scale war…would commence soon…in the Promised Ground.

--

Thank you so much for the faves, alerts, and reviews!

Anyway, finished… -orz- I haven't eaten and stuff yet and it's already 3 in the afternoon. –shot- and I haven't bath.. and I… okay. I submitted this real quick and there's no double checking for me. Hope you enjoyed.

One last thing, remember to check my profile please, and take the poll. It would mean so much for me. Thanks!


	17. The Promised Land

As I promised in my review replies, an update.

**Disclaim: **I do NOT own anything that is copyrighted. (:

**Announcement: **Go check out my profile under the FanArt gift now before reading this chapter. :3 **Tinuleaf** had drawn me a very very gorgeous art for chapter 12-14 of DU. You should all go see and worship her! –shot- nah. xD just go see! The art is amazing!!! Thank youuu!! 3

Without further ado,

Enjoy!

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 17**

**The Promised Land**

The next morning, the Teleporters were all ready. They stood in front of the wide range of the beings of the Underworld that gathered together, already set to go to the war with the King. The King led his people in the front, nodding to the Teleporters, giving the sign that it was okay to summon the gate to the Promised Land.

Demyx apologized firsthand in the morning, informing the King that Sora had went off after rendering him unconscious. Axel somehow had a feeling that Sora would go to confront God. He didn't know if God would kill Sora, but he knew that Sora would be able to protect himself. He knew the person he fought in the war thousands of years ago no matter how displeased he was that Sora had disobeyed his order.

As the portals were ready, the King, followed by his loyal servants went inside the portal, bracing themselves for the enemies that would confront them. There was no holding back and no regrets shall be present.

Left behind in the castle were Vexen and Zexion and several other beings that decided to step out from the war and didn't desert the land. Vexen and Zexion continued their research, finding any resources available to give the King an answer.

--

The Promised Land, beautiful as it was, isolated in the far corner of the World where only a few chosen beings would be able to enter. Its seal had been released. God had decided to turn the Promised Land into a battleground—where blood would spill and many would be killed.

It was a Land where the first human was created—a male that God loved. He bestowed His eternal power upon him. To accompany that male, God decided to create another female, bestowed with equal love and the power to reproduce. There were words around saying that a young boy was produced out of the first male and female's love. The female bore a son—a son born from the two most powerful being that God loved and created. Their son was said to inherit the power of God himself, becoming God's most adored human.

There were several other parts of the stories that continued and spread after that, but none was confirmed to be true. No theorists dare confirmed or even argued against any of the stories. They accepted them as true—whether or not the second generation of male was banished from the Promised Land because he fell in love with another male—who was his brother, or whether he was banished because of his selfish lust and desire, falling for his own mother, or even whether that he was banished because he tried to confront God and took over the position as God. No one could say for sure. The Promised Land was the beginning of every creation for Celestia and the Human World.

While in the Underworld, the first human created was said to be female, a woman so beautiful and perfect, born from the dead souls of many that had accumulated in the world. The woman became the Queen of the Underworld, ruling over the hidden world for thousands of years, building up her world, gathering power, attempting to bring down God for having created them. The Underworld existed because of the selfish desires of the humans and Celestians manifested into dark power that eventually materialized into the form of special beings with powers out of the ordinary.

And there, in the Promised Land, a war would soon take place. The area where everything began…

--

"Where? Where's Riku?" Sora muttered, sweating out of nervousness, looking left and right cautiously. Celestia had changed—it was not the same as the way he remembered it.

Everywhere, all he felt was unfamiliar senses. He didn't know where he was. He even had trouble locating the castle. How could he locate Riku if he had no idea how to find the castle? He flew around without destination. Celestia was empty, he couldn't find anyone there. He took in a shaky breath, suddenly feeling afraid. He was all alone.

Holding Oathkeeper close, he flew to a random direction. The area looked more like a maze than anything to him. He heaved a soft sigh, scratching his not-itchy head in the slightest gesture. He couldn't sense anything; it was as if every aura was being covered up by some kind of barrier.

He tried to focus, but found out that he couldn't concentrate. A single drop of sweat formed on his forehead. He looked around warily, suddenly sensing hostility, but he couldn't see anything. Fog began to form around him and he was instantly blinded, clouded by the thick amount of fog. He coughed slightly as he breathed in the heavy air that was surrounding him. Something was amiss. Looking around, he could suddenly see beings formed—out of nowhere.

Shadows began appearing in the dimly lighted area and he could see the shadows manifested into strange beings that he had never seen before—being with colors so black and dark and eyes so yellow. Those beings had two antennaes sticking out of their heads. They jerked to the side and formed a circle and more and more of those shadow beings came to exist, effectively surrounding the Keyblade wielder.

When those beings showed signs of hostility, Sora immediately flew away, dodging the attacks by his opponents. He sought for every opening possible—without thinking anymore further, he turned his attention, quickly turning 180 degrees and slicing his keyblade at those beings. Most of the beings vanished at his single slash and Sora smiled, noting and happy that it was working. The last thing he wanted to happen was for his keyblade to be found ineffective to those beings.

He began assaulting those beings and they kept appearing out of nowhere. The more he killed, the more of them spurred out, and the brighter the area became. Sora was happy, thinking that everything was working as it should. If he kept attacking and killing more of the unknown beings, they would eventually cease appearing and the fog around the area should disappear, opening a way for him to find his way to God.

He panted after he had disposed of the beings. They had stopped appearing. When he looked around, his blue eyes were widened to find out that his shadow had grown larger under the shine of the sun. And his shadow kept growing larger and larger, multiplying, expanding around the area, and he had to snap his head up as he noticed that his shadow had materialized into a larger version of the beings he had just fought.

This being that manifested from his own shadow was much larger than the low beings that he fought. It was also black and dark, its eyes are yellow, and there's a hole shaped like a heart in its chest. Sora frowned. "What are you?" he whispered, never before seeing the peculiar being before him. He flew backwards in caution, being in high alert in case the being decided to launch a full attack on him. He was wary—mainly because he had never fought a being such as that, thusly not having any kind of knowledge that would help him in his fight.

The brunet angel quickly flew away as soon as an attack was aimed at him. The huge monster slammed his fist down on the ground, but Sora easily dodged the slow but heavy attack. Sora began slashing Oathkeeper to the being's fist and flew up high to slice its head. However, before he was able to successfully accomplish such an act, he fell backwards, feeling a huge impact on his cheek and he could immediately notice blood dripping down from his forehead. "Ugh!" His back made a heavy contact with the surface of the ground that had apparently turned solid. He grunted, hissing in pain as he slowly and carefully propped himself up using one of his elbows, panting, looking over to find his assailant.

His blue eyes widened in shock as he gasped.

In front of him was a being that took over his figure, standing on all fours and then straightened into a posture that resembled a human-cat. The being looked exactly like him and the figure was dark. Its eyes were as yellow as the being that he fought before. Dark auras could be seen enveloping and enshrouding the being's body. "An... Anti?" Sora whispered, frowning. Was that really the "Anti" of himself? He breathed when his Anti suddenly dashed to his side—so fast that it was impossible for him to notice the movement.

And he heard a loud thud to the back of his neck and everything went dark...

--

The battle ground was painted with beautiful crimson, shining under the stare of the golden sun. Beings, from short to tall, from small to huge, were in the area, battling against one another. Winged ones flew in the vast sky, lunging down, avoiding, taking down their opponents, and calculating everything clearly using their careful observation from above. Those who were ground bounded used their strength to persevere, battling against their wits, thinking through their moves carefully before going in to kill their opponents. Lots and lots and lots of blood was bursting and raining down eerily, threatening to paint everything that came to its contact with the same ruby color.

The blood bath went on and on. There was no stop. There was no rest. There was not even time to breath—for even taking in a small amount of air could mean their deaths and lost. It was life or death on the battlefield. There was no time for healing as everything went on so fast that even the winged ones had trouble reporting the status of the battlefields to the leader. Messengers were hunted down, winged ones were the priority to target. However, most of the Celestians underlings were winged ones while most of the Underworld beings were bound to the ground—clearly not given much freedom in their movement.

There was no telling which side was winning or losing. There was no telling anything in the bloody atmosphere that was present in the Promised Ground.

The Promised Ground was tainted—dirty and messy.

The leader of the Lilims could be seen leading her servants to battle against all the winged ones that were floating in the sky. Some of the Lilims were already fallen, never to see life again and some were struggling with heavy wounds. There were, however, some fortunate ones that only suffered minor injuries. Larxene was bleeding at the side of her stomach—her vision was blurred. Someone had successfully injured her and she was in pain.

Much to the every beings' surprise, Ven and Aqua were able to wield the Keyblade. They were zoning in and out freely in the sky, occasionally summoning balls of lights to take down their own kinds, slashing the Celestians with their Keyblades. Even though they were fast and obviously far more superior than some of the angels, the damage that they inflicted on their own kinds were minimum. Sharing the same affinity with their own kinds, the damage that they took was also minimum. They zoomed around the battleground, helping and aiding those in need.

Dance of deaths could be seen gracing the huge area of grassy field.

The leader of the Reapers were standing at one side of the field, spinning around and whirling his scythe, cutting and splitting everything apart into pieces. Blood and pieces of flesh flew around frantically. Marluxia closed his eyes while feeling his own motion, becoming one with his surrounding, killing off his enemies mercilessly. He also suffered injuries, bleeding at the side of his forehead and at his arms, but it was not enough to stop the grim reaper. Minions of Grim Reapers were fighting together with Ghouls, Dark Knights, Dusks, and lowly Undead Soldiers in order to fight off the winged ones. Some were determined to kill off the Green Faeries, beautiful being with the power of nature, specialized in fast healing and treatment. The Celestians became harder to kill with the Faeries supporting the winged ones with their constant healing.

At the Underworld's side, the Healers were also desperately healing their comrades. However, they were not as strong as the Faeries. The faeries thrived in their territory—the Promised Ground, filled with nature and all the luxury of greeneries. Their source of power was from the nature while the Healers needed the souls of the dead to aide their ability in healing. From the perspective of the Healers and the Green Faeries, the Healers were obviously losing.

However, from the grounds, the Ogre was thriving, taking down hundreds of Celestians without mercy. There were some Ogres that had gone berserk after losing their kinds. Some winged ones were smart enough to form tactics and kill off the Ogres, using trickeries and magic to bind the enormous giants and using the Ogres' slow speed to their advantages.

The God of the Underworld was in the middle of the field, leading his world in the battle against Celestia. It was not a battle to win territory. It was not a battle to gain acceptance. It was not even a battle to protect worlds. It was a battle to avenge a loved one, to avenge the death of the Queen and to forever free themselves off the grip of God. The beings of the Underworld were—to begin with—God's pawns. They were created from the misery and despair that were present in God's creations' hearts. Their existence meant nothing than to show that the dark side of the world existed.

Axel grunted after taking several blows from the Celestians. He was surrounded by minions of angels—winged ones...flying freely around him, using magic to bind him. His vision was hazy, but his flame was forever eternal. He gathered his power to the center of his being and engulfed his chakrams in flames, burning and scorching, wanting nothing more than to mercilessly burn the enemies into ashes, boiling even the crimson blood away, turning everything to ashes, returning those creations to the higher being that they knew as God.

Axel huffed as he summoned pillars of fire and quickly dashed away, surrounding several angels inside walls of fire, effectively purging them off existence. His chakrams flew back to him and he took it gracefully. Emerald eyes were scanning the area—three Archangels to the right, three lower leveled angels in the middle, four faeries in the back rows, healing them, and three Unicorn-riders above them and behind them were hundreds and thousands of Celestians Minions.

"Cure!" Demyx shouted, healing the King. He strummed his sitar, sweeping one of the angels away. "You alright, Ax?"

"It's fine." Axel grunted.

"You're bleeding..." Demyx narrowed his eyes. "Cure!"

Axel seemed to get better, but it was barely noticeable.

"Cure!" Demyx tried again, but nothing really happened.

"Don't waste your time." Axel spoke as he swayed away to avoid one of the lunging attack from the Unicorn Riders. He engulfed his chakrams in flames and threw it to the enemies again. The archangels dodged the attack swiftly, but two of the lower leveled angels got cut in half, burnt and disappearing into the flames. Demyx strummed his sitar again, summoning a number of his water-clones into the battle field. His clones began attacking the enemies, but were immediately dispatched with a single attack. The musician began to strum his sitar again and again, effectively summoning hundreds of his clones. He danced with the water that came out of nowhere as he began dispatching the Celestians that came as reinforcements.

Dusks and other beings of the Underworld were also fending off the enemies at other sides.

Axel immediately dashed to the sides and got into range with the Green Faeries. The Green Faeries yelped and shrieked. Axel smirked, swiping the tip of his Chakrams to the throats of the Faeries. Some got away, but he was determined to chase them down and he did, successfully. Now that the healing aid was gone, his battle would proceed easier.

"Ax!" Demyx panted, running to the King's side. "I see no leader." He whispered. "Aqua, Ven, and Larxene also spotted none." He continued as he kept on launching his assaults, watching his opponents' movements closely. Flesh and blood streamed out together with the gushes of water that the musician formed.

"..." Axel didn't response, seemingly thinking as he swiped his chakrams at the enemies that came closer to him. He smirked then. "That's easy. All we need to do is kill these imbeciles. Their so called God must be hiding in his throne, creating more Minions." He provided calmly. His face was pale as more blood seeped out of his wounds.

"Fool! Do not speak of God's name in such a way!" An Archangel shouted as he lunged down with his spear and shield to thrust the King. Axel grunted. He easily parried the spear and with movements and steps so fast, he was already at the back of the Archangel. Closing his eyes with a sadistic smirk on his face, he spun and threw his chakrams at the Archangels waist and wings. The razor sharp chakrams cut the wings off of its joints and cut the Archangels body in half. Blood burst out and some found its way to the King's cheek. Flesh splotched around the area as Axel flicked his hand, planting a high temperature bomb inside the center of the bodies of the beings around him. As he snapped his fingers, beautiful flames and fireworks burst out of the bodies.

Tender fleshes began splotching and raining down gorgeously, deep red color and chewy like veins stained the green grass. "Worms..." The King stated coldly as he wiped away the blood at his cheek using the back of his hand. Then, he took the chakrams that flew back to him.

It was soon that the Promised Ground was tainted red. And the sky was no longer blue... it turned into a darker shade of blue and then darkened and darkened...until there was only a faint source of light lighting the area. The sky rumbled. Screams, wails, and shrieks could be heard ringing across the bloody battleground. Trees and grasses began to wilt, dying away amidst the misery and the murderous intents that filled the ground. The Promised Ground...the place where everything started...would be the area where everything would end. It was the beginning of the coming and unavoidable end.

--

Sora slowly came into consciousness soon after. As his eyes slowly fluttered open, he tried his very best to focus his vision. Everything he saw was double. As he shook his head, he was finally able to see clearly what was in front of him. He gasped, feeling his breath caught in his throat. "Riku!" he shouted, quickly running over to his best friend. But he was unable to do so as he noticed that his wrist and ankles were chained down by thick and impenetrable iron. "Nggh! Riku!" he grunted, the metals that bounded him in place clanking, making noises as the brunet angel struggled to break the chain. But all he got was bruises. His wrists and ankles soon turned red out of the pain. "Riku!" he shouted again, voice a lot calmer than before.

Sora's breath hitched as he tried his very best to not panic. He felt fear inside, seeing the silver head angel in that condition. Riku was crucified to a crucifix. His foots and palms were nailed to the wooden crucifix. Blood kept streaming out, travelling and travelling across the light brown color of the wood, dripping down, making eerie noises in the silence. The brunet angel narrowed his eyes out of disgust. Who had done that to his best friend? He didn't want to think that it was God's doing even though he knew precisely that it was...

Riku slowly came to consciousness as his eyes fluttered open. He raised his head. His eyes flew open almost instantly as he saw the familiar figure in front of him. "Sora?! Why are you here?" he questioned, voice hoarse. He could feel his throat burning and scratching, dry.

"Riku! You're alright!" Sora instantly brightened, grinning happily.

Riku grunted. "I'm not exactly alright." He huffed, feeling the pain instantly overtaking him as soon as he became aware of his own well-being.

"Riku!" Sora grinned again, so happy that he had forgotten the grave danger they were in.

"Sora! Listen!" The silver head yelled. "You must get out of here before He comes. He'll kill you."

"He?" Sora narrowed his eyes, trying to think whoever it was that had a lot of grudge against him.

"God..." Riku whispered, disgusted just by uttering the word.

Sora grinned. "No, God wouldn't..."

"Sora! You know as well as I do that God _would_! Now, hurry! Get out of here! The keyblade should be able to help you release the chain!"

Sora hesitated, gulping. "God...wouldn't...what are you saying, Riku?" he shook his head. Reluctantly, he summoned Oathkeeper.

"God isn't the God we know anymore, Sora. He..."

"I hear someone's talking behind my back." A chuckle. Soon, a winged figure came into view. "You know, Riku. You've been a very bad boy. I thought you've been disciplined using the Celestian's rules." God huffed, smirking.

Sora looked over to the winged figure, tilting his head up. He gasped. "You're... WHAT?!" he yelled, looking in disbelieve.

God laughed, humored. "I love those expressions you all have in your face whenever you see me in person. It's hilarious!" he chuckled once again. "What? Do I remind you of a certain somebody you know?"

"It can't be!" Sora yelled again.

"Aww, sure it can." God smirked.

"You're..." Riku frowned. "How...how come you take... you're _not_ in this form the last time I see you."

"Oh you see, for God can do miracles." God answered calmly, smiling. His cerulean eyes gazed on his two servants that he had bounded there. "That belongs to me, _Sora_." He narrowed his eyes and stretched out his left hand. Oathkeeper immediately vanished from Sora's grip and manifested in God's hand.

"Wha...?!" Sora breathed, trying to summon his Oathkeeper like he used to, but was incapable of doing so.

"So, I see you're back...Sora... How convenient that you run back here to my grasp. I should thank you for making my work easier. Now that you know who I am, you can both...sleep." God smiled kindly, flicking his hand.

Sora and Riku's breathe immediately calmed. "I feel...sleepy...." Sora whispered.

"No..." Riku muttered.

And soon, the two beings fell into slumber.

"I wonder what _he_ will think once he sees me in this form..." God smiled, looking at his palm. "Finally...Roxas..." he looked over to the slumbering brunet angel.

--

The battle continued. Time passed without warning and everyone had lost count. Was it days, months, years...? Nobody knew. Did time pass at all? No one dared guess.

Demyx gulped, panting horribly. His body was incapable of lasting through the battle much longer. Injuries and wounds graced his fragile body. He had no power left.

The King stood calm. His breathing was unleveled. Even the King had his limits

Larxene had already retreated, suffering severe wounds, taken back to the Underworld by the Healers.

Marluxia was still at the other side of the field, fending the enemies off. The leader of the Grim Reaper's injuries was fatal, but he kept fighting, not giving up. Thousands of bodies lay waste and dead in the battleground. There was no stepping place anymore. Everywhere they stepped, they were putting their weight on the dead bodies.

Splotch could be heard every time a being took a step. The battlefield was pooled, flood, and bathed in crimson liquid.

Reinforcements kept coming from the Celestian's side.

The Underworld was losing. There were no reinforcements—and a lot of comrades had fallen.

Emerald eyes narrowed at the sight.

The battle had been hold to a still. Nobody from either side made moves. Even the Celestians, who were winning, didn't take a single step, didn't make a single move to attack.

Heavy breathings enveloped the air.

Ventus and Aqua—who were leading a minion of angels that decided to fight with them—were at the other side of the field, near the King. Holding their Keyblades firm, they were ready to strike in case the opponents made move. Even though their injuries were minor, they were also out of breath.

"Having fun?" A soft voice rang through the silence.

Axel frowned. The voice...felt almost too familiar.

The sky tore apart and light shone through the Promised Land. And there, where the sky split, an angel with wings so holy and pure was smiling down to all his creations with his gentlest smile. His blond hair was golden under the sunlight's gentle touch. His cerulean eyes reminded the beings of the beautiful sky that they had missed. The small of his back was graced by a pair of gorgeous wings. No one had ever saw a pair of wings as beautiful before.

And every being held their breath.

Ventus frowned.

Axel narrowed his eyes.

"Miss me?" God grinned childishly, descending from the sky until the tip of his toe touched the surface of the pooling blood gently. "How's everybody doing?" he tilted his head to the side, asking kindly.

Axel's eyes widened in disbelieve.

Ventus frowned even deeper. "You!"

God smiled again.

"Roxas..." Axel breathed.

And the war came to a still. No beings moved—all eyes placed on the one being that made his appearance in the middle of the war.

--

Does everybody agree that Caramel Caribou Ice Cream is HEAVENLY?! So sweet. Me love!!! : D

Yeah, random. :3 Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Remember to go see the links to the wonderful arts on my profile!

Anonymous reviewers: I'm sorry to say that I cannot reply your reviews. D: But feel free to contact me if you wanna talk! I really appreciate your thoughts! Thank you so much!


	18. Tangled

I'm really sorry for the late update.

Enjoy.

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 18**

**Tangled**

The silence was still and calm. There was no show of violence or hostility from either side. All the beings were astonished with the sudden appearance of God. The fact that God appeared out of nowhere and asked them about their well-being when it was apparent that a lot of blood had been spilled in the battle ground, shocked not only the Underworld beings, but also the Celestians. Not to mention that God was Roxas—or at least, looked like the blond angel.

"Why the silence?" God asked calmly, smiling gently. "Are you all waiting for salvation?"

Nobody answered.

"This sight is too horrible. Let's clean it up a bit."

With a flick of a hand, the entire Promised Land was cleaned, no blood, no stains, not even a hint that a war had just occurred there. The bodies were all gone and what was left was how the Promised Ground should look like.

"Better." God stated.

"Roxas?" Demyx called out. "Great! It's Roxas. That means this war will be over, right?" he grinned.

"No, you're not Roxas." Axel whispered.

"And how can you be so sure?"

"You don't have anything in you that remind me of Roxas."

"I'm beginning to think you're blind, Axel."

"This is ridiculous." Ven grunted. "All this battle, this war... is because of Roxas?" he frowned.

"Why?" Aqua asked.

"I just want some fun. It's been a long while since I had fun. It's really tedious to just sit around all day in my throne, you know. Now, I come here to offer peace."

"Peace?" Aqua frowned. "After all these massacres?"

"There is one thing that you all must remember. I do not start this war. The one who started this war is that King of yours." Roxas answered simply, floating in the middle of the battlefield without a single care in the world. "I'm God. I want nothing more than to see my children happy—to see my creation live life in peace."

"What's your promise of peace offering?" Aqua asked, frowning, watching the angelic being in front of her carefully.

"I will rule all the three worlds. You will all bow before me. I will promise you all eternal wealth, health, and happiness. And...you must hand your King over to me." God smirked.

--

"Riku, Riku..." Sora whispered, still half asleep, but desperately forcing himself to wake up. He did all the things that would inflict pain upon his body, biting his tongue, using the chains on his ankles and wrists to punish himself, making all sorts of noises that would hopefully help in keeping him awake. He was extremely exhausted and all his brain wanted was to shut down and went into a deep slumber. He bit his lips until they were bruised and bleeding, but it seemed that the pain was merely not enough for him to stay awake. His eyes weren't cooperating with him as they continued to shut while Sora desperately tried to keep them open, battling against his inner desire.

"Sora?" Riku's eyes fluttered open slowly, half lidded, unable to calm the overwhelming desire to sleep.

"We have to get out of here..." Sora whispered again, shaking. He tried to summon Oathkeeper, but nothing happened. "My Keyblade..." he spoke dejectedly.

"Sora, listen... Is God...Roxas?"

"No, I can say for sure that he's not." Sora answered, yawning.

"Before he clearly takes Roxas' form... he's... he looked like a shadow."

"A Shadow?" The brunet angel responded, half-asleep.

Riku grunted as he tried to move his arms and legs. The nails were digging deep in his flesh, passed his bones. He curled his fingers into fists, growling and grunting in pain as he tried to release himself from the nails. His drowsiness was drowned in the pain almost immediately. He tried his very best to ignore the pain and with a single jerk, his left palm was released from the nail. He hissed in pain as blood kept streaming out from the hole that was created in his palm. Another jerk to his right arm...then his legs...

A scream.

And he was free from the crucifix.

Blood was dripping all over the wounds, streaming out endlessly.

His vision was hazy. He tried his very best to walk over to the brunet, but he fell down halfway, kneeling down on both of his knees and eventually falling flat on the cloud on his front, his face facing to the side. He panted, gasping, trying to catch the tiniest bit of air. The pain was unbearable and blood kept streaming out endlessly. He could the brunet sleeping peacefully chained to the iron that bounded him in place.

"Are you alright?" came a deep dark voice. A figure immediately ran to the silver head's side. "You need immediate treatment." The voice continued. "Hang on."

Everything was hazy. Riku couldn't hear a thing. It was all blurry.

And soon afterwards, Riku went to his slumber.

--

"We will not abide to such nonsense." Marluxia retorted, refusing the peace offering that God had so gracefully offered.

"Look around. There's no way for your side to win at this rate. Axel, if you're smart at all, you must be able to see what I see." Roxas spoke, looking at the clear green eyes that were staring back at him.

It was a sight to behold. The Underworld was clearly losing. The Celestian side stood strong. Some angels seemed to be faltering, not showing the same determination that they had earlier in the war. Some were demoralized because of God's unexpected actions and speech. Every angel was shocked to learn about this God of theirs, but no one turned their back to Celestia because of their faiths and beliefs. No one was willing to take the first move. It was overwhelming. They believed that God would make a good decision for them that He would bring them salvation, yet at the same time, doubts and worry were pulling at their hearts, wondering aloud if they should even place their beliefs and loyalty upon this little blond angel kid that was floating gracefully before them.

No one took the first move.

None of the angel initiated anything.

Only watching as the events were unfolding.

They would battle if they must—in order to protect the sacred world of Celestia, in order to restore peace, in order to have a life where there wouldn't be any war. They were on the verge of winning—right or wrong didn't even matter. What matter was for them to return unscathed to their families and they would pray for those who had died valiantly in the war—who had fought bravely for them.

Almost nine tenths of the Underworld's minions were all wiped out, leaving only several beings that were standing strong. Their loyalty was unfaltering. However, it was clear as the blue sky that they had used up all their energy. They were on the verge of dying. They would immediately face their deaths with only one eights of the Celestia armies attacking them. Everyone could see that.

Axel's gaze was firm and thoughtful, weighing his decisions.

"Roxas, what are you saying? We can come to peace!" Demyx persuaded.

"Demyx, you're too childish. Can't you see that I am your enemy now?" Roxas spoke.

"You're not, Roxas. I know you're not. I know it's not all just a pretense. It's more than that. All the time we've spent together..."

"I will go." Axel said then, his voice calm.

"Where will you go?" Ven frowned, clearly disapproving.

"Silence. A Celestian has no business judging my decision." The King replied spitefully.

Ven was silenced, floating in midair, staring at the redhead in disbelieve.

"Axel! You can't just go! What about the Underworld?" Demyx frowned.

"Marluxia, I will leave everything in Vincent's hands. If Vincent never comes back, everything will be left under your watch. Is that alright with you?"

"But, my Lord..."

"Is that alright with you?" Axel stressed, not even sparing a single ifs, ands, or buts.

"Yes, Your Highness." Marluxia bowed.

"Please reconsider, My King. We can still fight." Aqua tried. "I'm sure there will be more willing Celestians that will help us now. Isn't that right, everyone?" she asked the armies of angels, but no one answered. Every being simply looked away. None voiced their thoughts. Aqua shook her head. "You're all still willing to fight for this faux God?"

"Aqua, that is not a proper way to speak of your God." Roxas warned. "You don't want me to do anything hasty to you, do you?" he held his glare.

"I...But..." Aqua took in a deep, shaky breath, backing away.

"Take care of everything while I'm gone, Marluxia."

"Yes."

"No second thoughts?" Roxas asked, smiling gently.

"Axel! Roxas!" Demyx shook his head.

"None." Axel replied. "Demyx, take care of everyone."

With a single flick of hand Axel was suddenly wrapped in a huge pair of wings that came out of nowhere. Another gesture and the wings opened up, revealing...nothing... the King was gone, vanished into the thin air without a single trace.

"As of now, I am your new ruler. You will all bow before me and I will decide what is best for all of you." God announced. "I will give you everything that I have promised. All I ask for is your faith and belief." He smiled. "Everyone should go back to where they belong for now. Fairies, I want you all to go to the Underworld and heal all the beings there that are injured. No battle is necessary. Until then, my faithful beings."

With a single respectful bow, God flew up to the sky, an opening in the clouds and disappeared. The clouds went back together, closing the openings.

"I refuse to bow under someone like..." Ven gasped.

Aqua smiled, trying to cheer up the situation. "Look at the bright side, Ven. At least He looked like you."

Ven shook his head in disbelieve. "It's all over? After all the blood that has been spilled?"

"No, it's not over." Marluxia intervened.

"It can't be..." Demyx whispered.

--

Roxas sat still on his throne, watching the redhead that was standing right before him. "Make yourself at home."

"Do with me whatever you will." Axel stated. "Return Roxas."

"Oh, but I'm Roxas." God smiled.

"You're not. I can say without a doubt that you're not."

"No matter how much you deny it, I am. Though, I am not entirely Roxas." God drawled, watching with amusement, a sly smirk on his face. His resemblance to Roxas was disturbing.

Axel didn't reply, merely standing still. He was not bound, he was not kept in place. He was, in fact, free to go and move as he pleased.

"Do you really want to know?" God smiled, offering.

"Who are you?"

"The one and only God. And as I hold this title, I should really bow down by the rules and be kind to my subjects. Unfortunately though, I am not one to bow to anyone or anything in particular, Axel. I don't see the need and necessity to treat my subjects kindly if I don't see fit. I am bestowed with power and strength. It is my choice whether to abuse the power or not."

"Why do you bring me here?"

"Unfortunately, as much as I hate you. Roxas loves you to the point that it sickens me. I am contemplating on whether to torture you or simply let you be my slave. It's a hard decision."

"You're disgusting."

"By saying that, in theory, you're also claiming that Roxas is disgusting. Is he now?" God countered, amused. Cerulean eyes gleaming cheerfully as the conversation went.

"Roxas is not and therefore, you are not him."

"Stubborn, aren't we?" The blond God rested back on his throne, sitting cross legged, comfortable. "Roxas is kind, nice, never selfish, always thinking about everyone else, always giving everyone else happiness, gentle, playful, shy, naïve, happy, loved... I am quite the opposite. Do you think it is not possible for someone to change?"

"..."

"Think about that, Axel. And try to figure me out. I might change my mind until then. You have all the time in the world as you will stay here until you find out."

"What are you up to?"

"I'm bored, Axel. There doesn't seem to be anything in the world that's worth seeing anymore. Roxas and you are really the only two that pique my interest. For you see, Roxas and I are a part of each other."

"Why do you do all of this?" Axel questioned, staring at the boy before him at the corner of his eyes. Out of boredom? Was that all there was? That was the reason why he was being separated from Roxas over and over again? Why they met again and then got separated? Just for God's personal amusement? The war, the battle, everything.... it was all because God thought it was amusing?

"You'll know once you've figured everything out."

"Where's Roxas?"

"Roxas is alive... I can assure you that. Somewhere...deep within. Or maybe he has given up and died. I can't say for sure." God laughed. "And Axel, as I've said, make yourself at home."

--

Vincent whisked away, carrying the silver head angel with him. He was not capable of releasing Sora. The chains wouldn't break no matter how much he had tried and he had to go away, seeing that somebody had come in to check on them. They would be caught if they didn't move. Thus, with no other options left, the black haired man took off, carrying only one angel that was heavily injured. He needed to go back before the silver head died of blood loss.

A thought of Xion fleeted by his mind was he was making his way back to the Castle of the Underworld to inform of his discovery to the King.

--

Larxene was in a critical condition. The fairies' healing combined with the Healers' help helped little in her recovery. The leader of the Lilim was panting and gasping out of the severe injury. Her wings were reaped apart and her frail body suffered heavy wounds.

Zexion and Vexen were trying their best to create herbs and medicine using science, but they couldn't come up with anything. Receiving the news from Marluxia about the outcome of the battle and distracted their attention. They were still researching what the King had told them to do. They were still finding an answer to all the questions that they were given.

Marluxia's wounds were heavy, but nonetheless treatable.

Demyx was already treated, sitting on the stairs of the throne, dejected, a look of disbelieve, still utterly shocked with what had happened.

Ven and Aqua merely watched. They had healed their own wounds.

No one spoke a word.

--

I honestly do NOT know what is happening anymore. This has stray TOO FAR from my original plot. Don't ask me, I don't even have the answer. –shot- Yeah, I'll figure something out, don't worry.

And of course, the Alternate Ending of Dark Underworld was already posted as a new fic. You can find it in my profile.

I've started a new fic called "Chained Souls." It's already up until chapter 4. An AkuRoku set in a world of fantasy and magic. Check it out if you're interested. I would really appreciate it.

All in all, I'm sorry for the late update and for the shortness.

I hope you enjoyed.

Until then.


	19. Absolute

I added a section for chapter 3. And for those of you who are too lazy to read back, here's the section. It's basically an explanation about Lilims.

"_Lilims, out of all the beings that inhabited that Underworld were the most peculiar ones. They lived and thrived out of lust. Their whole function was out of lust. Every night, Lilims would fly out of the Underworld in search of their victims—which were usually human male prey. They would sneak into their victims' residences and had sex with them when they were sleeping. However, when their victims woke up, they didn't know that what happened the night before was actually real. They thought it was a dream—never knowing that those beings that took a beautiful and gorgeous form of a young girl had sucked the life out of them. _

_Lilims operated and functioned through the life and the lusts that they sucked out of their victims. If they continued visiting the same victim at night, the victim would eventually die, having their source of life slowly absorbed, living them with an empty body_."

**Note: **This could be counted as a collab chapter. xD Jay helped me out with parts of this. Thanks, Jay!!!

I'm so sorry for the lateness. I got stuck in this big time and I've been kept busy with summer school. I'm lucky to have Jay there.

Enjoy.

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 19**

**Absolute**

"One is gone." God whispered as he entered the area where he kept the two of his angels. Sora could be seen lying on the cloudy ground, sleeping—still and peaceful. Roxas watched with undeterred emotion, not showing even a single hint of concern. "Selfish. You are so selfish, Sora..." God whispered, walking closer slowly. He carefully scanned the area. Blood could be seen everywhere and he was sure that there was someone else that had infiltrated the area before he came in. There was another unfamiliar scent that was left behind in the room, a scent that took along the Xion's scent.

He wondered about the safety of the certain black haired angel. She was nothing but a tool to him. She was never a somebody in his eyes. Merely a nobody who was so devoted to him. Blindly devoted to him.

And there was, of course, a clear track of blood that led out of Celestia and disappeared where there was no stretch of clouds.

God walked closer to the brunet that was still sleeping soundly. His bare foot was merely a centimeter apart from Sora's body. He looked down, observing the brunet. His once cerulean eyes were blank, void of any color, dark, and merciless. Then, he knelt down on one of his knees, putting one of his arms on his knee, looking lazily.

"Wake up, Sora." He called gently.

Sora stirred. "Hunh..."

God smirked. "Sora, wake up." He called again, gently patting Sora's back. "Sora…"

"Huh?" the brunet's pair of blue eyes fluttered opened slowly, still drowsy and half lidded, not fully aware of the world yet.

"Hey, Sora." God waved his hand in a small gesture with an innocent and kind face that belonged to a certain familiar blond.

Sora immediately jolted wide awake from his sleep and jumped up to a kneeling position, facing his twin—his other—a bright grin immediately graced the angel's face. "Roxas!" he chirped, tackling his twin down into a big hug.

God smiled warmly, hugging back his twin with equal show of love and kindness—ones that were learned out of centuries of pretense.

The brunet let go of his twin then, noticing that he was still chained.

"You want me to get you out of those chains?" God asked kindly, his voice sweet and gentle.

Sora grinned, nodding. He looked around, face paled in a second. "Riku…" he whispered.

"Oh, so you noticed." Roxas smiled, looking around. Two sets of cerulean eyes were scanning the area carefully.

"What do you mean? Where's Riku?" the brunet paused, looking at his twin with a hopeful expression. "Roxas?" he demanded, putting both of his hands on Roxas' shoulder and shaking him a bit.

"Get your filthy hands off me." Roxas spoke, expression dark, tone low and deep. He stood up, looking at his supposed twin, despise was obvious in his face. "Riku's dead, Sora. You're happy?" he asked, smiling a bit, mocking.

"Riku's…what?!" Sora took in a deep breath, frowning. "You're lying."

"You're always so selfish, Sora. Look what you've done. Look at this blood, staining Celestia."

"I'm not…" Sora shook his head.

"You're not what, Sora? You're not selfish? You can honestly look at my face and say that?"

"What are you saying?"

"The time I was in the human world. That time I was so happy with Axel. What did you do?"

"I… but that was… I thought…"

"What did you do, Sora? Have you already forgotten? All the sadness that you've caused? Because of your selfishness?"

"It's not my fault! It's not only…"

"It certainly is not your fault alone, Sora. Certainly not. You're only following the rules, right? It's all for my happiness, right? It's all for me, isn't it?" Roxas laughed unemotionally. "You've done a lot for me. And you've done a lot for Riku too. Look what you've caused? Look clearly, Sora." He shook his head, a hint of sadness was present in his tone and emotion. He heaved a soft sigh before having decided to walk away.

"Roxas… You're… Roxas, aren't you? Are you really…?"

"Is it that hard to believe that I'm Roxas? Who is Roxas, really? Who's the Roxas you all know? I'm curious." God shook his head slowly, looking at both of his palms. "You know, Sora. I don't even know who I am."

And with that God walked away, disappearing in the mist in the distance. The brunet watched, grieve and agony were overflowing in his heart.

--

A deep sigh was released.

Chattering and muttering filled the Castle of the Underworld.

An atmosphere of grieve enshrouded the whole castle.

To most of the beings that inhabited the Underworld, their King was gone.

To those faithful ones, they knew that their King was still alive somewhere.

Larxene was getting worse that before. The Fairies and the Healers were tending to her at all times. There were some Lilims that were worried about their leader's condition. On the other hand, there were also others who were already discussing about who should take over Larxene's position if she died.

Marluxia was nowhere to be seen after he was healed …as well as Demyx… the sitarist who had gone missing.

Zexion and Vexen were locked in the laboratory. Their faces were never seen anywhere in the parts of the castle after the initial calm down in treating the beings of the Underworld.

"This is chaos…" Aqua commented, seeing as the heads of the dead ancient Celestians that were hanging on the roofs of the Castle laughing and smiling. They were excited about the Underworld's condition without their King.

Ven shook his head, frowning. "I'm going to Celestia."

"Don't make hasty decisions, Ven. We don't even know if the King is still alive and there is no point for us to go back there."

"But, Aqua. Look at all this…"

"God has promised the World's eternal peace and wealth. There is no more point for us to meddle in further. Don't make things any more complicated than it already has, Ven."

"Aqua, do you really think that everything is going to be this easy?"

"I don't dare think. I would rather hope."

"Aqua, you're unreasonable." Ven frowned.

"Being stubborn isn't going to help, Ven. You should…"

"Where is the King?"

Aqua yelped when she heard a voice right near her ear. She immediately turned around and jumped back, alerted, summoning her keyblade. "Who are you?" she hissed.

Ven was also alerted, immediately summoning his keyblade, looking at the man with a wary look. "Identify yourself."

"Where is the King?" Vincent asked again, his voice calm and deep.

"Is that… Riku?!" Ven dismissed his keyblade when he noticed a very familiar face.

Vincent was carrying Riku with ease. Blood was still dripping endlessly down Riku's hands and feet. The silver head angel's face was pale, so pale that no color was present. He seemed stone cold—as if he was lifeless. His eyes were closed, peaceful and silent.

"_The _Riku?" Aqua asked, stepping in to take a closer look. "What happened?" she frowned.

"He needs immediate treatment. There should be a number of fairies and healers available in the treating room. Let's head there." Ven suggested without sparing even a single second that might lead to the potential death of the silver head angel.

The blond ran off, followed by Aqua and Vincent.

--

Demyx walked briskly into the laboratory, taking care so that no one would notice his presence. He made as little noise as possible, looking around the area. There was no one at all, he couldn't see or sense a single movement. Taking in a deep breath, he finally descended the stairs. Before he could peek into the room to see what experiment was being conducted, he was confronted by a very familiar person, standing right before him. He gasped.

"What are you doing here?" Zexion asked sternly. "No one is permitted to enter this area."

"I should be the one asking that," Demyx countered. "You know exactly what is happening just right above here. But all you've been doing is hiding in this laboratory with Vexen, doing nothing."

"…" Zexion stared silently.

"Answer me. What are you doing?" the Mohawk blond narrowed his eyes.

"It is none of your concern, Demyx." Zexion was about to turn and walk away.

Demyx was quick to grab Zexion's wrist and spun him around. "Tell me. I want to help. Just… tell me."

"You can't help." The lilac haired man said firmly, yanking, struggling out of the grab.

"Zexion, give me a chance."

"…"

"I know you're all up to something and I want in. I've had enough of being left out." The blond tried.

"We're searching…for an answer…"

--

God walked back into his chamber, finding the redhead there. He had made sure that Axel was unable to get out of the area, having placed a seal that he was sure even the King of the Underworld was unable to break. "Thinking hard?" he teased, smiling as a kind God would.

"What are you up to?"

"I'm not up to anything, really. Let me give you a clue though… something is about to happen in the Underworld. You'd best figure out a way to get out of here and help your servants."

"You promised a life of eternal peace for them." The King stated.

"I don't have to fulfill everything that I promise." God grinned. "I've promised a lot of things, Axel. But that doesn't mean that I have to meet every single one of them. I don't have an obligation to make sure that everyone is happy. I'm not Roxas."

"Says the one who was so stubborn about being Roxas." Axel countered, watching the cerulean eyes in front of him carefully.

"That's the question, isn't it?" Roxas stepped closer to the redhead.

Closer and closer.

…until they were merely centimeters apart from touching one another.

It was then that God's wing spread out. So beautiful and pure white—even purer than the color of the snow.

Roxas seized Axel's arm, holding it tight in place, yanking the King down. With an innocent smirk, the blond leaned in closer and placed his lips on the redhead's, placing them there without doing anything.

Axel's eyes went wide, watching the person in front of him with disbelieve.

Roxas suddenly moved, tackling down the redhead onto the ground of clouds. They fell into the fluffiness of the white puffs with the blond on top of the redhead. The blond smiled innocently, tilting his head to the side, sitting and putting all his weight on Axel's abdomen.

"What are you…"

"Axel." God smiled, calling out gently.

"…" Axel inhaled a sharp breath. The blond in front of him… Roxas… with his wings spread… reminded him of the time they were in the human world. It was then that he caught a suspicious movement from the blond on top of him. He immediately pushed the blond away and jumped up to stand straight.

God held a small knife, one that was sharp enough to slit people's throat, effectively ending their lives. "I still hate you." He commented. "But you're smart." He chuckled. "I'll protect Roxas from the likes of you. I'll protect his heart from getting hurt. I'll protect myself."

God's speech confused Axel.

It didn't make any sense.

"You're protecting Roxas?"

"I'm protecting myself."

"Are you…an…Anti?" Axel frowned. He had heard of beings called "Antis" before. The dark side of oneself. The evil that sprung up and manifested from a being, consuming the original being's soul slowly, gaining power.

God smiled.

"An Anti lives by leeching off its original's soul. You're slowly killing Roxas if you are. You're not protecting him. Give Roxas back." Axel demanded.

"And what makes you so sure I'm an Anti?"

"I'm sure." Axel frowned. "You said that you and Roxas are one. You talk as if you and Roxas are one."

"We are." God countered. "We are one. One being. I can't live without Roxas, neither can…"

"Roxas _can_ live without you. You're nothing but his shadow. You're not God." Axel spited, watching the floating blond's expression closely.

"Silence." God's face turned solemn. With a wave of his hand, Axel was slashed at his arm by an unseen force. "Do not speak of your God in such a manner." He spoke in his low, dark voice. "I am not happy with your performance, Axel. Not at all." He countered, flicking his hand, causing the wind around to slash the King mercilessly.

Axel easily blocked the attack by forming a shield and dodging when necessary. "You're selfish. You're not protecting Roxas. You're hurting him!"

"I'm protecting him! Protecting him from all of you. Roxas needs me! He's…"

"Roxas doesn't need you! He's trying to run away from you! All he has been doing all along…" Axel dodged away, avoiding another one of God's assault, summoning his chakrams.

"I'm here to protect Roxas! I am Roxas! I am God! I am absolute!"

"Lies," Axel gritted out through clenched teeth, "You say you're here to protect Roxas but what good have you actually done for him?"

God seethed and lashed out to deal another blow, "How would you, a lowly Underworlder know what I've done for Roxas?"

"Me? A 'lowly' underworlder? If you are Roxas, then you would know that I'm not just some 'underworlder' to him" Axel extended his arm upwards to deflect the hit, and then countered with a swift kick to the Celestian's legs.

"Shut up!" God roared," I've done more for him than you've ever done!"

"Like nearly killed his friends?"

"They were selfish. They existed to serve him, but they hurt him." God spun to the left, swiping his hand to the front to damage the redhead.

"And you exist to serve him?" Axel blocked the desperate attack easily with a throw of his chakram.

"I exist to protect Roxas. To protect him, and make sure no one hurts him."

"Bloody good job you've done, you insane bastard."

God screamed, summoning Oathkeeper and went into to attack Axel.

Metals could be heard clanking, echoing in the vastness of the sky.

"How dare yo--"

"Where's Roxas now?"

"He's here!" God yelled, frustrated, countering the King's attack.

"Where? I don't see him. I see an angel that might as well be a demon with blood on its wings and its hands." Axel hissed, attacking and defending at the same time.

"I _am_ Roxas!"

"Are you?"

"Yes!"

"But you exist to serve him, to protect him. How can you exist to be Roxas, and exist to protect yourself? Isn't that the same thing?"

"I am Roxa-"

"You're a _part_ of Roxas. Now where's the rest?"

"The rest?"

"The Roxas I knew. The one I loved, made my bride. The one I held captive and tortured. The one I loved and cherished."

"He's.. he's.."

"He's where? Where is he? Can you hear him?"

"He's… in _here!_" God yelled, immediately thrusting his keyblade straight to the King's stomach, but was deflected effortlessly.

"Roxas! Snap out of it!" Axel gritted his teeth while trying to parry the attack from God that had grown fiercer and fiercer as time went by. The blond had increased in speed too.

Axel summoned fire to envelop the fake Roxas in front of him, but was easily diminished by God's Light.

"I will protect Roxas." God said with determination.

"So, which are you? Are you Roxas? Or are you not?" Axel pressed on.

"I am Roxas and I will protect him."

"You're speaking of Roxas in first and third person at the same time, you lunatic. You're nothing but a being that deserves to rot forever in the endless infinity of the stream of life."

"Stop it!"

"Roxas doesn't need you. He doesn't even want you there to begin with."

"Stop it. Stop it!" The blond slashed his keyblade frantically.

"You…"

"Enough, Axel!" God paused.

"Wha—"

"I said, _enough_."

Axel frowned. "Roxas?..."

Axel paused, and stared into God's eyes.

"That's enough." The blue hues were swirling with a mix of emotions. Confusion. Agony. Anger. Pain. Doubt. Fury. Deceit. Loathing.

They floated through his eyes, passing quickly as a silence settled over the two.

The King of the Underworld narrowed his eyes once more.

"You're killing Roxas."

The redhead received no answer from God, only more of that silent stare.

"Good or evil. You're still Roxas, you say?"

He shakily lifted his hand closer to the blond's face.

"You can't live without Roxas, right?"

He nearly withdrew his hand as he saw the blond's lips pursed uncomfortably.

"Right?"

The blond fidgeted slightly, seemingly trying to avoid contact. Doubt was apparent in his expression.

The King's gaze softened considerably. He smiled kindly, using his thumb to slowly rub the blond's cheek affectionately.

"Axel…" the blond called timidly, hopeful.

The redhead waited for the blond's next move, not wanting to do anything that would cause the other boy to be frightened.

There was a moment of silence before God frowned.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" he snapped, slapping Axel's hand, backing away. "Take your damned lies somewhere else, you lowly Underworlder. Rot in your eternal doom," he hissed. He raised his hand, seemingly about to punish the redhead, but paused suddenly without any reason, retracting his hand. "Hmph. You're lucky," he spited, flying away.

"What?" Axel furrowed his eyebrows together, watching as the Celestian disappeared from his sight.

He scanned the area.

"The barrier's…gone…"

--

"Promise me that you will not tell a single soul of this." Zexion stated firmly.

Demyx nodded.

"On how to vanquish an Anti."

"An Anti?"

"The King had a speculation from the very beginning that there is something wrong with Roxas. We've fought an Anti once before, but it was very weak. We could kill it within the blink of an eye."

"What's…"

"An Anti is a being born from the purest of heart. It's the complete opposite of a being. The stronger the heart, the stronger the Anti."

"Roxas… is…?"

"The fact that God has taken Roxas' form indicates that Roxas' Anti is not to be underestimated."

"Wait, how come you know… how come you're so sure that…"

"I can see through the King's eyes."

"What?"

"That is something that you don't need to concern yourself about."

"Does that mean you can communicate with the King right now?"

"No, but he will come back shortly."

"Huh? Wait… if you're going to vanquish Roxas' Anti… what… what about Roxas?" Demyx shook his head, confused.

"We're trying to find a way to fuse and separate souls. If there's a way to…" Zexion paused, thinking. "That is enough. I have told more than I'm supposed to. Your presence is not welcomed here, Demyx."

"Zexion, let me help."

"You will only hinder our progress. Please kindly make yourself out of here." The lilac haired male spoke, turning his back to Demyx.

"Zex… why have you become so…"

"People change, Demyx. It's about time you do so too." Zexion raised his hand and formed a barrier to the entrance, right in front of Demyx, preventing entry. "I should have formed a barrier earlier." He spoke to himself. Then, he paused to look at the blond. "If you want to help, report what's happening to me…periodically." He whispered before walking off.

Demyx grinned brightly. "Alright!"

--

He looked around, stepping into the room unnoticed, walking briskly as if waltzing.

All the beings' attentions were concentrated somewhere else. Taking it as a cue that it was safe for him to proceed, he approached the blonde Lilim that was lying on the bed. Effortlessly, he took the Lilim up and slung her over his shoulder. He released a small chuckled, going away unnoticed. Making sure that he was far enough, he summoned a portal and disappeared from the area.

--

I sure hope that this is an adequate update. I'm really sorry for my tardiness in updating. I'll try my very best. Hope you enjoyed. And once again, thank you Jay! And thanks to you all too~

On the other note, I'm really sorry for my late replies. D: I've been in summer school. Extremely… busy. D: I'm really sorry for the lateness. Honestly. ARGH.. I can't apologize enough. I hope you'll all forgive me. I hope my summer school will end soon. D: See you then~ :3

Love.


	20. God and Roxas

Whoo! It's chapter 20… o_o this is the… wait, wow. 20 chapters. O_o

Fast and short Update.

**Thanks: **Thank you, Mei and Jay! X3 I love you two. xD They're the ones that got me out of block and helped me through holes and such. Ah, thank you!!!

And of course, thank you for the supports. I hope ya 'all will stay until the end!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 20**

**God and Roxas**

"_The barrier's…gone…"_

Sora's eyes widened. He blinked a couple of times to make sure that he wasn't merely imagining something happening in his head. Was his chain getting weaker? He shook his hand, trying to get himself out of the chain, but it was the same as before. As he tried again, the chains clunk, making noises.

Then suddenly… the chains shattered to pieces, disintegrating and disappearing into the void.

"Huh?"

He was not chained anymore. He frowned, wondering what was happening. It was then that he realized that he had no time trying to figure out what he didn't know. Riku and Roxas… the two beings dearest to him was in danger. He needed to pull his act together.

--

Axel was able to get out of God's Chamber effortlessly. He strolled across the hallways that shaped the Castle of Celestia, walking through corridors, trying to find his way out. He sensed a very familiar presence while he was making his way out, fighting groups and groups of shadow enemies that came upon his way. He dashed through them, slicing and dicing the countless enemies, panting all the way, making his way to that one particular room that contained the strongest sense of the presence.

When he opened the door, he bumped into a small figure of a brunet. "Sora." He regarded.

"Axel! Why are you in Celestia?" the brunet asked, worried.

"There's no time to explain. Are you alright?" Axel asked, his tone was flat.

"Yes, I'm okay. But Riku… And Roxas…"

"Riku is in the Underworld."

"What? How did you know?"

"I saw it in the brat's viewing glass in his chamber." Axel explained.

"You mean Roxas?"

Axel didn't response.

Sora panicked. "Riku…"

"You should go to the Underworld and attend to him, Sora."

"But what about Roxas?"

"Do you know where Roxas is?"

"Yes…" Sora muttered. " I can sense him. He's in the Thousand Woods Forest, located east of here…"

"Thousand Woods…" Axel nodded. "Alright."

"I'll go with you!" Sora insisted.

"No, Riku needs you. You should go to him." The King spoke, voice determined.

"But Roxas is my twin. I want to help him. He's…"

"I can handle it, Sora. I'm sure I can get Roxas back to who he is."

"So you also think that he's Roxas?"

"Of course. I accept Roxas as who he is… good or bad. He's Roxas."

"Axel…" Sora smiled.

"Now…" Axel summoned a portal. "This portal should take you back to the Underworld. Go to him."

The brunet seemed hesitant. "Roxas…"

"Trust me on this one."

"Alright, I'll leave Roxas to you. Be sure to bring him back safely. I won't forgive you if something happens to him." The brunet threatened.

Axel nodded, grinning.

"Thank you, Axel." Sora smiled, taking a step into the portal. When he was inside the swirling pool of darkness, he turned around to face the redhead. "Roxas must be really happy… being with you."

And then, the portal closed, vanishing from sight.

The redhead watched before moving on.

To the Thousand Woods Forest.

--

The silver head angel was laid on the treatment room. The Healers and the Fairies attended to him, leaving Larxene at the other side of the room. The leader of the Lilim's condition had gotten better for the past few hours. It was only a matter of time that Larxene would be healed fully.

Vincent watched closely. He noticed a presence in the area and he scanned the room.

"Ven…"

"Yeah." Ventus nodded his head in response. "It's Marluxia…"

"I haven't seen him since after the war…"

"He's gone." Vincent interrupted. "Explain on what has happened during my absence." The black haired demon spoke, his voice calm and deep.

"When we came here, the King was ready to declare war. Roxas…" Aqua explained to Vincent what had happened.

Ventus frowned, looking around. Marluxia's presence might have vanished from the area, but something felt amiss. He stared at the curtain. Behind that curtain should rest the Leader of the Lilims. He approached the curtains carefully.

"So, Axel's in… Ventus?" Aqua asked, averting her attention.

Vincent watched, without saying anything, he walked passed Ven and went to open the curtain, only to discover that the bed was empty. "Larxene…"

"The Lilim is gone?" Aqua whispered.

"Marluxia must have taken her away."

"But why? And where?"

"He's plotting something."

"Wait, where are you going?" Aqua asked.

"I'm going to find out." Vincent answered.

"…where…the souls gather… presence… where the souls are the strong…est… he's there…" Riku gasped out.

"The stream of life. Right." Vincent nodded before whisking away.

Ven and Aqua ran to the angel's side. "Hey, you okay?" Ven asked, worried.

"He lost a lot of blood. But he will be alright." A Healer informed.

"We are very sorry about the disappearance of the leader of the Lilims." A fairy bowed.

"It is none of your fault. We've been preoccupied with Riku and let our guard down." Aqua spoke softly.

"So…ra…" Riku whispered.

"What?"

"…I feel him. Sora's around here." Ventus notified, spreading his wings and flying away.

"Ven." Aqua followed.

--

As the brunet made his way out of the portal, he found himself in the Castle of the Underworld. He gasped when the shadowed monsters immediately formed in front of him, seemingly having followed him inside the portal and out. He quickly ran away, knowing that there was no way for him to vanquish those beings.

"Sora, to the side!" Aqua yelled, flying in to parry the attack that was about to land on the brunet.

Ventus easily slashed and defeated a number of the monsters. "Are you okay?"

"Ven, Aqua!" Sora grinned. "Yeah, thanks!"

It didn't take the two angels long to completely eradicate the enemies.

Aqua and Ven dismissed their keyblades as soon as they wiped the enemies out.

"Are you alright?" Aqua asked.

"Yes. Where's Riku?" Sora asked immediately.

"How did you get here? How's the King?" Ven inquired.

"Axel's good. He's trying to get Roxas back. I'm sure he'll be able to do it." Sora smiled. "How's Riku?" he asked, voice laced with concern and worry. "Where is he?" his voice softened.

"Riku is recovering. He's in the treatment room. We'll bring you there." Ven spoke, leading the way, followed by Sora and Aqua.

--

"Riku!" Sora shouted, immediately running off to the silver head angel's side as soon as he saw that friend of his.

The silver head smiled. "Hey. You're okay."

"How are you?" Sora asked, worried, kneeling beside where Riku was resting.

"Just a little blood. I'm good." Riku convinced, chuckling and coughing softly.

"I'm… sorry." Sora buried his head in Riku's abdomen. "I'm sorry to have caused all of this."

"What are you saying, Sora?" Riku gently patted Sora's head. "It's not your fault."

"I almost got you killed again…I…"

"You never killed me, Sora. I thought we've agreed on that." Riku smiled.

"Riku!" Sora grinned happily, jumping onto the bed to hug his friend.

Riku choked, then chuckled. "Ow, Sora."

"Oh, sorry!" The brunet laughed sheepishly.

Aqua and Ven watched from the side.

"We should leave them alone." The blue haired angel spoke, smiling sweetly.

"Yes, I agree." The blond nodded.

--

Axel ran, jumping through the gaps of the clouds, watching out for enemies and dodging whenever necessary. His emerald eyes carefully scanned the area, looking for signs of forests in the east. It was not hard for him to find said forest. The area was abundant—filled with trees and greeneries that strangely grew on the clouds. When he was inside the forest, the enemies stopped appearing, disappearing one by one. As if there was a barrier that prevented them from entering.

Axel dismissed his chakrams, running through the forests, keeping an eye out for the sight of the blond. He panted. There was nothing, but the greeneries in sight and the forests animals that were grazing and sleeping peacefully in the light of the day. He stopped for a while to consider which direction he should head to when he encountered a branch in his path.

Faintly, he could hear a soft humming—a nice and peaceful humming. He slowly stepped forward, approaching the source of the sweet melody.

There was Roxas…or God with his wings spread, standing on the water. Not even sinking despite the density of the water. It was as if he weighed nothing.

"Roxas!" Axel called.

God immediately turned, his peaceful expression formed a scowl when he noticed that it was Axel. "Die, persistent bug." He flicked his hand, summoning turbulence and wind into the area which hindered the redhead and stirred the forests.

Scents were hard to pick up in the Sacred Forest of Thousand Woods. Hence why God didn't know that the King of the Underworld was there.

"Listen to me! Roxas!" The King persisted, stepping forward into the water.

"What am I supposed to listen to? You told me to go rot. I shall. And I will take Roxas along." God narrowed his eyes in disgust. "And you too. I wish death upon you." He hissed. "I wish eternal death and doom to the people who has harmed Roxas. You all worth nothing."

Axel shook his head. "Roxas, you know you didn't mean that. Whoever you are…" he shook his head again, desperate. "Roxas, return to me. I want nothing more than to have you."

"Now, that's so out of character for the mighty King of the Underworld, isn't it? The one and only? _The_ Axel? The merciless God? What do you want with me? What do you want with Roxas?" God stated blatantly. His eyes were void of any color, void of emotions.

"I will give up those foolish titles if they bother you so much, Roxas."

"Lies. All lies. All you'll do in the end is hurt and harm Roxas." God suddenly broke into a maniacal laugh. "But of course, without all of you to hurt Roxas, I wouldn't be here to begin with. I wouldn't be Roxas without all of you." Rocks around the area were shattered as God's emotions welled.

"Roxas! You know I love you!" Axel said without blinking an eye or even flinching when a piece of rock headed passed him, merely inches away from his left eye.

"Love is a word without meaning. You lowly beings have used the word too much. If you say that one more time… I shall…"

"I love you!" The King persisted.

"I shall…"

"Kill me?" The redhead narrowed his eyes, staring silently at the blond. "Are you going to kill me?"

God summoned his keyblade, grabbing the weapon as if he was clinging on his life, slashing the water around him to prove his point. He took in a deep, shaky breath. "I will…"

"No, you won't. I know that for sure. If you're going to kill me, you won't let me talk this much to you. I'd have died the instant I began talking to you. And if you _are_ going to kill me, so be it, Roxas." The King held his gaze firm. "I'm ready to die… in your hands. Come what you will."

God narrowed his eyes, looking away, confused.

"You mean a lot to me, Roxas. A lot."

"Your words are full of lies. I will never fall for that. You must have wanted to persuade me because you want to save your Underworld and take them out of my hands. You must have wanted me to free Sora and all your servants. You worthless, selfish, immature…!"

Axel laughed. "And you think I care about all that?"

"What?"

"Roxas--"

"And why are you calling me 'Roxas'?! I thought you were all so persistent about me _not_ being Roxas. I am _not_ Roxas. Happy now?"

"…" Axel held his gaze firm, releasing a deep breath, contemplating his next words. Roxas was somewhere inside the person who was standing in front of him. Roxas was inside…somewhere. Or… "No, you are Roxas. You may be Roxas' Anti. You may be the other side of him. But Anti or not, you are Roxas. And I accept you. I love Roxas. He's…"

"Roxas is _mine_. I am Roxas… Roxas is _mine_…" God stated, as if chanting, dropping his keyblade, shaking his head. "I… who am I?" he shook his head again, laughing and smiling unnaturally. "I am Roxas…"

"Roxas…"

Axel was as confused as God was.

God laughed again eerily. "Do you know how I was born?"

"Huh?..."

"That day… after Roxas sang Harmony of the Sky. The song was too powerful for him that he was rendered unconscious for weeks and months… No one was able to help him. No fairies… not even God… In his unconscious…I was born… he called out to me and I answered his call. We talked, we conversed… he told me a lot of things about the world outside, about his experiences. Roxas is so… kind… so naïve…" God shook his head. "He's being used. He's being manipulated. Every being that he knew and met were selfish. No one understood him. Do you think… that Roxas will still be alive after all that if it weren't for me?" he narrowed his eyes. "You ungrateful King of the Underworld?" his voice was soft and full of malice, floating freely on the pure water. Bubbles of water were raising up to the air and disappeared into the void.

Silence.

"I am the only one in this world that is capable of protecting Roxas. You're the source of Roxas' problems. You're the roots of all the things that have hurt him. I have sworn that I will protect Roxas. I will eradicate all the beings that hinder me."

"You're hurting and killing Roxas. Your existence slowly eases Roxas' life away. Your actions have hurt him. Why don't you blame yourself before blaming others?" the King frowned.

"I love Roxas more than anything else."

"Where is he?"

"He used the keyblade to stab himself. Where do you think he is?"

"Is he…dead?"

"What would you do if I say he is?" God spoke calmly. "Will you kill me then?"

"…" Axel paused. "No." he stated. He shook his head then. "No." he smirked.

"…"

"You're Roxas. If you're still here, that means Roxas is still alive."

God laughed. This time, a kind and gentle laugh. "I will forever cage him in the unconscious. I will never let him suffer the trivialities of this world anymore. I should have done this sooner. Roxas will forever be happy, trapped inside."

"Why is being trapped a good thing? Last time I checked, it was one of the worst things possible." Axel stated, as a matter of fact. "How long has it been since you talk to Roxas?"

"…"

"Do you even know how Roxas feels?"

"…"

"Do you _want_ to know how he feels?" The redhead stepped forward, further getting his body into the water.

"I don't need to know because I already _know_. He must feel the same way that I do. I am the righteous."

"Let's go ask him." Axel grinned.

"What?"

"Let's go ask Roxas how he feels. You must have some ways to connect to him. Just as Sora connects to you."

"…"

"Or are you afraid that you're wrong?" the redhead pressed on.

"I am the most righteous of all beings. There is zero percent that I am wrong."

"Then, prove me wrong." The King challenged. "Take me to Roxas so that I can find out that I'm wrong and you're right."

God contemplated. "Fine, so be it."

--

On a note, I got lazy with side characters. –orz, shot- sorry. I'll try to pull it up together in the next chapter or so. Until then, people~ x3

Hope you enjoyed~

Love.


	21. His Unconscious

How are you all doing? Happy July 4th!

**Thanks: **To **Firey Angelwings **for songs and translations. I really appreciate them!

Wow, I really appreciate all the reviews that you guys gave. They're all really warming. I love 'em. You are all very wonderful. I'll try my best to keep all your interests up. I'm pretty sure that I have replied to every single one of 'em… but if I missed one of you (except for **Gamet Kauum Gekxoum**'s reviews in which she had so kindfully pointed out my mistakes. I still haven't got to check back and replace them)… please do let me know. I sincerely apologize if that happens.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 21**

**His Unconscious**

The next thing the King of the Underworld caught sight of when he was able to see the area around him was a field, overflowing with the abundance of golden wheat. The horizon was a mix of yellow and orange hues, stretching far out to the sky, covered with few puffs of dark colored clouds here and there. He was all alone. Anti Roxas was nowhere in sight.

As he walked through the plain of wheat, he saw a small figure just right in front of him. The figure had hair as golden as the field and the sky. A small figure that he was already so familiar with that he didn't need to think twice about his thought. He tried to open a portal to cover up the distance, but it was no use. He couldn't open up a portal nor could he summon his chakrams. He couldn't even summon fire when he tried. It was as if all his power diminished in that area he was in.

The strange area… with rocks, sounds of falling water from the distance, bird chirping, squirrels, trees faraway, and another island in the middle of the sea…so far away. It was a place he had never seen before.

He kept walking to close his distance with the blond, but it didn't seem to work. The blond was one step away every time he took a step forward. It was then that suddenly he heard a strum of an instrument. Having gotten used to the nice melody, he had no doubt that the instrument was a harp. He turned to the source of the noise, emerald eyes carefully observing, not missing a single detail.

His lips parted the slightest when he saw the familiar figure right before him. Just four steps away.

He was right there… sitting in the middle of the golden field, eyes closed, looking ever so peaceful. The blond strummed his harp and beautiful melody could be heard echoing throughout the endless silent boundaries. A small smile graced the serene face that belonged to the angel. He wore a white pure robe that wrapped and provided warmth to his body. His wings were curled down softly at his back as if enjoying the melody that came out from the strum of the harp.

Axel stood there, watching silently—as if his breath had been taken away.

Then, those enticing cerulean eyes opened up slowly to the world, radiating its warm, calming glow. The blond tilted his head to the side, smiling a welcoming smile. "Hey, Axel." He spoke gently.

"Roxa-"

"Sssh, do you hear it?"

Axel shook his head in confusion. "Hear what?"

"_It."_ The blond smile knowingly, sitting comfortably where he was.

"It…?" the King narrowed his eyes.

"There are the sounds of the waterfall from the west, the chirpings of birds from the northwest, the noises of squirrels eating their acorns from the south, the comforting breeze from the east, the whispers of the trees from the north…" the blond said, pointing in every direction that he mentioned. "But most importantly… _it…_ is trembling and shivering. _It_ is waiting for someone to bring it into salvation."

"Roxas? What are you talking about?"

The blond finally stood up, so gracefully that no sound was made. It was as if the blond was a ghost, transparent to all his surroundings. He took two steps forward to the redhead, smiling knowingly. "There are a lot of things in this world that is unknown to you, Axel. Even to you… the King of the Underworld. The second strongest in the world. God's supposedly number one creation."

"Am I here to be lectured?" Axel frowned.

"I'm giving you hints, Axel. Clues. That you might need as you journey on into the depth of this place. I'm being a good friend." Roxas joked, chuckling.

"You should be a good wife, not a good friend."

"Axel, what a funny man. You are God's greatest creation, yet you know so little. And you are so ignorant. Tell me, what do you seek?"

"You already know the answer to that," the redhead replied.

"Oh, should I ask… whom do you seek?"

Axel frowned the slightest bit before finally decided to give a clear answer. "Roxas."

"Am I not Roxas? You have found what you are seeking for."

Axel shook his head slowly, contemplating. "You are not… the Roxas I know."

"And who is this… Roxas that you know? Can you tell me?" the blond angel said, calm and elegant. Every movement he made was as if he was being supported by the gentle brisk of air, making him almost seemed…weightless.

The redhead grinned easily. "I know who he is in my heart. I don't need to explain it to you."

Roxas smiled. "Very well. That was very well said."

Axel narrowed his eyes. All of these… Roxases that he was seeing. He still hadn't quite gotten used to them. They had the same voices, the same expression, the same faces, the same… everything… yet… they were not the Roxas that he knew.

"Prepare to fight, King of the Underworld. You're the only one that can bring salvation to this…decayed world. We have accepted you. You are within our realm. Within…_his_ realm. Your title means nothing in this world."

"Are you the wise man?" Axel snorted. "It doesn't fit Roxas' personality at all. And you're using that body as if it's yours."

"You are still so immature, Axel. You will soon come to learn about everything and you will soon know and realize how childish you sounded just a second ago. Perish… or thrive and save Roxas. It is within your palm. Whether it is out of reach or not, only you can work towards the outcome. You had best heed my words. The shadows are within the heart. The heart is one. One represents all. And within all, you will find your answers. Do not fight and do not succumb."

"…"

"Time is running out."

"Huh?"

"Fight me. Or face your doom!"

Roxas strummed his harp gently before zooming in to attack the redhead. The redhead was about ready to summon his chakrams, but found out later that he couldn't do so. He quickly stepped away to avoid the angel's attack, successfully doing so with the attack passing barely an inch from the tip of his nose. He hissed. The blond strummed his harp again and balls of light manifested into the air. With a speed so fast, the balls of light flew towards the redhead, merciless, determined to end everything in their way.

Axel was unable to counter. He dodged every single one of the attack cautiously, trying his very best to read the blond's next move. He panted as he avoided yet another attack.

It continued on.

The fight where a Celestian kept attacking and a King of the Underworld kept dodging.

Axel was suddenly caught off guard when he was evading an attack and the blond suddenly came up from behind him, somersaulting and kicking him. The blond flew away, chuckling. "Give up and get out of this world." He spoke.

"No." Axel answered without a second of hesitation, kneeling on one of his knees before standing up, grunting.

"Then, I will give you the power to kill me. I will bestow upon you the power to fight."

With a single flick of hand, two chakrams were manifested in the King's hands. Axel kept his gaze firm, cautious of the Celestian in front of him.

"It's either you or me. Fight or die, King."

Then, the blond angel strummed his harp again, this time summoning pieces of ice, aiming it towards his opponent. Axel deflected some of the ice with his chakrams. However, some of them managed to wound him.

Roxas paused suddenly, open to attack. It was the perfect chance for Axel to take him down.

However, the King didn't move.

The King didn't take that chance to kill the blond in front of him.

"What are you doing? Why aren't you attacking?" the Celestian asked.

"…" Axel didn't response, merely standing there, surrounded by the golden field, watching.

"Fine, then today shall be your doom!" The blond raised his arm, ready to summon a powerful force to his aide. Wind was blowing in every direction, attempting to destroy everything that was there.

It took a while, but nothing happened.

Finally, it ceased.

And there was silence.

Roxas retracted his hand and smiled. "You've learned, Axel. You've passed your first trial."

"…Do not fight and do not succumb." Axel repeated, whispering.

The blond nodded. "You had best remember that. The chakrams are in your hands now. Do you remember what he said when you were created?"

"The power to destroy and the power to protect… the decision is in your hands." Axel stated, voice deep.

"And which path will you take? To destroy? Or to protect? I am intrigued." The angel tilted his head to the side, floating in front of Axel serenely. "Good luck, Axel. You'll need it. Head north and you will face your second trial."

Then, the blond disintegrated right before the redhead, turning into lights and flew off somewhere. In the direction…of where Axel saw Roxas for the first time—in the middle of the vast field. Axel tried yet again to reach the blond that was standing motionlessly there, but he knew that he couldn't reach him no matter how long he walked or ran. The blond was unreachable. The path kept stretching longer and converging, hindering the King from reaching his bride. And before long, Axel decided to take up the Celestian's suggestion and headed north…towards where the trees were whispering softly, gently, murmuring to one another.

The second trial…

--

There were lights and flashes coming from the Underground laboratory. Vexen was off to the side of the room, mixing concoctions. Human eyeballs could be seen floating in a flask filled with water. Veins and vines could be seen mixed together in a bowl of concoctions. Fingers and fingernails were crushed into powder in another bowl. Blood was used as a medium for the mixture.

At the other side of the room, Zexion was utilizing his power to fuse the concoctions together. A mountain of dead moths and fireflies could be seen piling at the side, having been used and experimented on for the soul fusion experiment. But it was all in vain. None of the experiment they had conducted succeeded. Even after days and days of trapping themselves in that small, dim room. No result was made.

"Vexen…"

"There must be a way."

"Every magic and technique we have tried were bounced off and repelled." Zexion informed.

"There must be something wrong within the process." The blond scientist insisted.

"Vexen, even if we figured out how to fuse and separate souls with these experiments, there is no way that we will be able to guarantee that it would work the same with a being and his anti. We…" Zexion tried to rationalize, figuring out the possible flaws even if their experiments might have gone right.

"The King trusted us to work and provide results for him, certainly for us to stand here and chat about possibilities, Zexion." Vexen spoke calmly, still working maniacally with his own part of the experiments. "Now, either figure out other forms of magic that will work on those experiments or make yourself out of the laboratory. Don't disturb my work."

Zexion narrowed his eyes, watching the scientist closely. Since when did the scientist have higher authority than him and the power to order him around? He sure didn't like how it went, but he decided to let the problem slide and continued with his research.

--

Demyx soon came to learn that something was definitely brewing up in the realm of the Underworld. It didn't take him long to figure out what was happening. As soon as he received his information from a few gossiping Underworlders, he headed directly to the stream of life even though he knew that the guard wouldn't possibly let him in since he was not one of the Underworld and under a strict order from the King, no one was permitted to go beyond the gate to the Stream of Life to avoid other beings to go into the Stream to return a loved one.

A strong barrier was created at the gate to further discourage others from going beyond the gate. Other than the Singers—the only beings that were permitted inside.

However, he saw Vincent along with two angels just right outside the gate, granted access inside.

"Hey." Demyx ran towards them.

Vincent turned. "Demyx." He regarded.

"Vincent, you're here!" Demyx grinned. "It has been…"

"There is no time for talk, Demyx. Time is crucial." Vincent cut the blond short, going inside the stream of life, followed by Aqua and Ven. "He is also permitted inside." He told the guards.

"Yes, My Lord." The guards nodded, making way for Demyx to go inside.

The stream of life was as calm as ever. Green and white hues filled the area. Vincent stared calmly below. His crimson eyes were scanning if there was anything amiss within the stream—the pool of bright green seams lying beyond the white sandy ground. "Someone is definitely in here before." The black haired man spoke as he knelt and took a fistful of sand using his armored hand.

"You mean, Marluxia's been here?" Demyx questioned.

"So, this is the stream of life…" Aqua spoke, mesmerized.

"Where the souls rest. Can you sense it too, Aqua?"

"Yes, I can pick up traces of the Leader of the Grim Reapers around here and also the Leader of the Lilims."

"What is he doing in the stream of life?" Ven whispered.

"It is foolish to wander around that pool of death." Vincent spoke. "The souls of the dead are restless and would drag any souls that enter their realm."

"Could it be…" Demyx frowned.

"Do you know something?"

"The Line… the Line of the World…that lies deep beyond the Stream of Life. If he's aiming for that… this is bad…" the blond swallowed.

"The Line of the World…?" Aqua frowned.

"You mean…?! If that's what he's aiming for, we must go after him, quick." Ven gasped.

"No, we wouldn't be able to go into the stream of life unharmed. There is a high chance that we will be the Lost without the King's guidance." Vincent explained.

"Vincent, you are the one in charge here, surely—"

"Although it may be true that the King gave me full control of the Underworld during his absence, I am not the King. Trespassing and going into…"

"Vincent, you must know that the Line of the World is at stake here! You can't just…" Demyx tried to convince.

"This makes me wonder…" Aqua began. "If the Stream of Life is forbidden and if there's a strong barrier placed on that gate… how can Marluxia enter with ease?"

"Larxene… I'm sure it's Larxene. She has been following the King for quite some time now. And Larxene is always so close with Marluxia. They've planned all of this!" Demyx provided.

"_Let us in! There is something that Riku wants to tell Vincent!"_ a voice could be heard from outside.

"Huh?"

"_This place is forbidden under the order of the King."_

"_I've told you, we're here to…!"_

"Let them in." Vincent spoke.

And soon afterwards, the door to the Stream of Life opened and Sora and Riku's face could be seen standing there. They walked in with Sora helping Riku.

"Riku, you should be recuperating." Ventus commented.

"We can go into the stream of life unharmed." Riku spoke, ignoring Ventus.

"What are you saying?" Demyx inquired.

"The late Queen Aeris taught us about the stream of life once… and about the Line of the World." Sora explained.

"How did you…"

"Riku figured that if Marluxia came here, then there is no other possibility other than that he is aiming for the Line. I can go in there and stop them!" Sora spoke, energetic and cheerful.

"We've agreed that I'll be coming too, Sora." Riku reminded.

"You seem… so much better." Demyx commented.

Riku nodded. "Sora have learned some extreme healing capabilities sometime ago. So, Vincent. I thank you for saving me. That's why I'm going to help the Underworld."

"You still haven't explained why you wouldn't become the Lost once you're in there." Vincent pressed further.

"…wait, the Harmony of the Sky?" Ven frowned.

Sora shook his head. "No. The song is too powerful even for Roxas and I have no ability to sing. But I and Riku have the protection of the Keyblade. Aeris said that the Keyblade will protect us."

"…make that four then." Aqua added.

"You two will come with us?" Riku asked.

"Of course. We also wield the Keyblade and we have pledged our loyalty to the Underworld." Ven reasoned.

Riku nodded. "Sora…then, you should stay."

Sora pouted. "What?"

"Your keyblade… Didn't God take it?"

"Riku, it's true that I can't summon my keyblade right now. But even without the keyblade…" Sora paused. "I'm pretty sure that I can be of use even without it, Riku." The brunet held his gaze firm.

Riku contemplated for a moment. "Alright…" he spoke even though he was clearly hesitant about his decision to agree with Sora. However, he knew that even though he had forbidden Sora to come with him, he was pretty sure that the brunet would do anything in order to help. He would rather be at Sora's side when Sora was in danger.

"Are you all certain?" Vincent asked.

"Yes." The four angels nodded, speaking together.

"Alright. I can't say that I'm happy with how this turns out. But it seems that there's no other choice but to rely on the keyblade wielders."

"Right."

Demyx took in a deep breath. And yet again, he was unable to help with anything. "Good luck." He offered.

"Thank you, Demyx." Sora grinned. "I'm sorry about hitting you."

"It's okay. You did what you need to do." Demyx smiled.

"Let's not waste anymore time." Riku spoke.

"Yes."

"Sora, how's the King?" Vincent inquired before Sora jumped into the so called pool of death.

"The last time I saw him, he was headed to save Roxas. He's in a good state…but other than that, I really don't know how it goes." The brunet shook his head, feeling sorry that he couldn't give more information.

"That's alright."

"I wish I can help more. I should get going. I'll try my best to help."

Vincent nodded and Sora returned the same gesture before jumping off into the Stream of Life, following the other three angels.

Demyx watched.

--

Axel walked further into Roxas' unconscious realm. He had been trudging through the golden field for quite a while. Suddenly, the scenery changed as he kept moving on. The wheat field disappeared from sight and the whole area turned into a vast snowy field on a small island filled with nothing but white adorned with very soft hint of blue. Even the sky depicted the same amount of coldness in the area. At the edge of the island, a tree was standing tall, seemingly unaffected by the cold weather, growing lusciously. It was the only colorful object in the area… beside him and apparently…somebody else there.

--

I wrote this fic in the middle of the night, everyone. I'm really sorry if there are a lot of grammatical mistakes here. My brain is slowly dying and it's beyond exhausted… I won't possibly write in the weekend, so I thought I might as well finish what I've started with this chapter. In addition, you've all been so wonderful. This is the least I could do. So here I am, drained, but done with the chapter. I don't have much to say. Thank you so much for all the support! I hope you all enjoyed.

Sincerely,

terra.


	22. Neige Verglas

Right after I post this, I shall reply to all the lovely reviews for the last chapter.

Enjoy!

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 22**

**Neige Verglas**

"Right here!" the figure shouted, waving her hands to get the King's attention.

Axel watched, wary and careful. The area dropped further in temperature and the redhead could feel the cold easing into him. His clothes were truly inappropriate in such weather.

"Do you hear me?! Right. Here!" the figure shouted again, not giving up.

The King decided to approach the person. "Xion…" he whispered.

"Hey, Axel! It's cold in here." Xion rubbed her gloved hands together, covering her frosty face with them.

Axel paused for a while before nodding, observing the black haired female in front of him.

"You're shivering. C'mon, let's get to town." Xion said, walking to the east, leading the redhead.

Axel merely stood there, not following.

The raven haired girl noticed and turned around, hugging herself out of the cold. "Hey, are you okay? If you don't get moving, we'll freeze to death by night. The village is just a walk away from here."

"Why are you in here?" Axel voiced his question.

Xion frowned and then laughed. "Axel, you know that I've lived here all along. What's wrong with you? You're acting silly. C'mon."

Axel contemplated a bit before he finally chose to follow.

--

They arrived in a nice peaceful town. The town was pure white, blanketed in thick snow. There were several residences all around that formed the town. A frozen fountain was standing in the center of the area. Its water had turned into solid ice because of the low temperature. The town was as if dead, silent and serene.

Axel scanned the area, wondering where he was.

Bells could be heard ringing in a soft rhythm from afar. There was a nice, quiet hymn in the atmosphere, so distant that it was almost inaudible.

"Axel, let's go. You'll freeze to death if you keep standing there." Xion waved over to the redhead.

Axel jolted out of his trance and walked over to where the black haired girl was. They entered one of the residences that was off to the right. He stepped inside, walking passed Xion. Xion closed the door behind her, taking off her cloak, scarves, and gloves and put them on the hanger that was set near the entrance. She immediately walked over to the fireplace and put her hand close to the source of the warmth. "Xion, you're back." A soft voice could be heard from the back of the house that Axel noticed as the kitchen.

"Yes and look who I've brought."

A shy blonde girl peeked out from where she was and she stepped out to view, bowing her head in a very polite manner. "Axel," she smiled sweetly. Her smile reminded Axel of his angel's. But there was no comparing Roxas' smile, for it meant a life to the King. "You're back."

"I'm surprised when I found him too, Naminé." Xion smiled and walked over when she finally had her hands warmed up.

"Does… that mean that you have already found a cure, Axel?" Naminé asked softly, hesitant.

"He must have. That's why he's back, right?" Xion responded calmly, smiling in hope.

Axel narrowed his eyes. "What cure?"

Naminé paused. She then frowned, staring at the King with disbelieve. "Does that mean… you've forgotten?" she whispered.

"…" Xion was quiet.

"I don't know what you are talking about if you don't start explaining."

"You said that you'll go and find a cure for Roxas and that you won't come back to Neige Verglas without it." Namine spoke again.

"Neige… Verglas…" Axel whispered, tasting the words at the tip of his tongue.

"What happens to you, Axel?"

"Naminé…" Xion put a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"After all that Roxas has done for you… after your absence…"

"Axel…" Xion stared meaningfully at the redhead.

The redhead nodded and finally stepped back, making his way out of the house, closing the door behind him. The King heard some screams and quarrels from beyond the door. He released a short huff before walking further away from the residence. "Neige Verglass… Snowy ice, huh? Roxas…" he took out his hand and faced his palm to the sky, feeling the coldness of the snow melting when it touched his skin.

Suddenly, a transparent figure appeared in front of him.

"_It's a town! Covered in beautiful white snow! The roads are made of glassy ice, stretching far and beyond, mirroring everything that came to its view. Blues and whites are mixed together, blending in symphony! You should see it, Axel! It's amazing! I'm sure you'll like it!" _The blond spoke excitedly, grinning cheerily.

"You know very well that I don't like that cold, Roxas." Axel grinned, talking to the transparent figure.

Roxas chuckled. _"I do! But that's even more reason that you'll like it!"_

And the figure vanished.

"…this town… in your unconscious…" Axel mumbled, whispering to no one in particular but himself.

--

"Naminé, calm down. You can't blame Axel." Xion tried to reason, holding the other girl close.

"He's the only person to blame, Xion. We both know what happened…" Naminé whispered softly. "This town. It used to be so warm and colorful. But now, all we see is ice…drenched in a never ending sea of white."

"I'm sure something must have happened along the way. Axel seemed a bit different than how I know him." The raven haired girl stroke the other girl's back lovingly.

"Xion…"

"Axel will find a way. I'm sure. We just have to be patient." Xion smiled. "I'll try to talk to him. This town will be back to normal soon."

Naminé nodded timidly. "Okay."

"Please take care of yourself until then. Okay, Naminé?"

"Of course."

--

A while later, Xion came out of her residence and walked up to the redhead that was standing, staring blankly at the frozen fountain. She gently tapped the man's shoulder. "Hey," she said lightly. "I'm sorry about Naminé. She tends to get emotional when it comes to Roxas."

The redhead answered nothing.

"Are you really Axel? The Axel we know?"

"Which Axel?"

"… the Axel that has brought such misfortune to all of us? _The _same Axel who has brought so many deaths to this town?" the girl said those words so lightly that it seemed like they meant nothing.

"Deaths?" Axel frowned.

"This town didn't use to be like this…"

Axel waited for the girl to continue.

"You should go to the church. I honestly don't know what you're playing at, Axel. But Axel or not, you have the same face and name as _him_, from what I gather. If you have really forgotten your purpose, then you don't belong here. You're not welcomed here. But…know for certain, Axel. That I will always help if you need me to."

"Why?"

"Because we are best friends. You, Roxas, and I."

Axel frowned at this.

"The church is up there, beyond the roads of ice that stretches far beyond. Down below the hill, you will find a cathedral. It should be pretty easy to find. Just… survive out there. And you'll definitely need these." Xion took off her scarves and fished out a pair of gloves from her cloak's pocket and gave them to Axel.

"I don't need them." The redhead gave off a cocky grin.

"You sure do. With that attire, you won't last long out there. Trust me on this, Axel." Xion gave a determined gaze.

Axel stared silently before finally receiving the additional clothing.

"Good luck," she smiled, nodding.

Axel was about to walk off, but he noticed that Xion had tugged his sleeves.

"You have a choice, you know. You can turn back and pretend that you never come here. If you are not the Axel, then chances are that you have nothing to do with everything here. There is no need for you to proceed."

"I am here for Roxas and only Roxas," the King said easily.

"…" Xion's eyes widened for a bit before she nodded. "Then, the cathedral is definitely your next destination. May God be with you."

Giving the girl a last stare, Axel headed off, walking around the fountain and began trudging his way through the small path.

--

Long red scarves were wrapped around his neck, gloves were protecting his hands from the cold, and both of his hands were hidden underneath the pocket of his dark colored cloak. His legs kept moving forward, never stopping. The cold embraced him mercilessly, threatening, determined to stop the man on his track. Even taking in a single breathe hurt his lungs. His bodily functions were becoming weaker as he continued on, slowing down, giving up to the temperature. His heart kept pumping in fast pace, not caring about the other body functions that had slowed down. His heart kept pumping blood, as if encouraging the others to keep working and support the King.

The road was long and slippery…made of pure glass of ice.

The wind blew violently, bringing cold snow together. And the wind kept getting stronger and Axel's movement was becoming slower.

The King had no means of summoning fire. It was not because he had no energy to do so, but it was because his ability to manipulate fire had been taken away in that world. He had regained the ability to summon his weapons, but what use was it to have his chakrams by his side when there were no enemies? When all he needed was warmth?

The road kept converging in the far away scenery, seemingly never ending. Even opening his eyes and scanning the area was hard for him. It was as if any liquid that he possessed would freeze in any given second. His lungs were constricted and his throat was dry. He couldn't even swallow.

And soon, his consciousness began to waver.

It was almost unbelievable to see the King of the Underworld in such condition.

He refused to give in to the unconscious. He kept striving on. To the cathedral, where he knew he would find his blond. He was beginning to doubt himself. Had he headed off the wrong direction? Was this his second trial? Was Xion plotting to kill him by sending him to that place? There was no one in sight. Even the town back there was eerily quiet. No other townsfolk besides the blonde and the raven haired girl.

He even began to doubt the cathedral's existence.

There was still such a long way ahead. And he was moving very slowly.

When would he reach Roxas?

Would it be too late by the time he reached his beloved?

Was it even of any use?

The desire to head back and give up was tempting the King of the Underworld immensely, but his heart didn't waver. He was sure that he could get through it somehow. Compared to all that he had been through, this was nothing. Nothing at all.

--

A distorted sound could be heard breaking off in the Underworld laboratory. There was a small, dark portal that formed and then a bright light… Then… "I did it… I fused… the souls…" Zexion said in disbelieve, panting because he had used too much energy.

Vexen, who heard that, immediately ran over to the Cloaked Schemer, scanning the souls that were contained in a jar. The two souls of the butterfly and the moth was indeed, mixed together. There was no telling that they were two separate souls at all. "Such a splendid job," the scientist spoke. "Are you able to disintegrate the souls and separate them?"

"I think I can," the lilac haired male spoke calmly, closing his eyes in concentration. Then, as he closed his palm, the two souls separated and burst into balls of lights, disintegrating, struggling to get out of the closed jar, but was trapped. The balls of light remained there.

"Excellent." Vexen commented with his hoarse voice.

Zexion's consciousness was beginning to waver. The area around him was becoming blurry and he knelt down on one knee, holding his temple with one hand, and the other hand was used to support his body.

Vexen smirked, watching the boy. "You are of use after all," he whispered, eyes narrowed.

"What?" Zexion panted.

"Good night."

Vexen approached.

Zexion became wary and he forced himself up, immediately jumping away and summoning a shield. His other hand was used to summon a portal that would take him out of the laboratory, but he couldn't do so.

"You can't get out of here using the portal, Zexion. I've put a barrier that prevents any portals activation under your command. Now, you must come with me."

Zexion had no means to deactivate the barrier, seeing as he had used up most of his energy in the experiment. "Are you rebelling against the King?"

"The King is never a priority to us. He is merely our pawn, to achieve what we want."

"…We? The King was right to tell me to be aware of you. You will receive a heavy punishment for betraying the King."

"Silence." Vexen laughed maniacally. "You don't have the right to talk back to me in this situation, fool."

Then, a loud thud could be heard in the room.

Soon, there was silence.

The silence didn't last long as a blond barged into the area. "Zexion!" Demyx called from outside the barrier. He could barely see what was happening inside the lab.

"That human…" Vexen hissed, walking out, leaving Zexion on the floor. "What is it that you want?"

"I want to talk to Zexion." Demyx said happily.

"He is…currently occupied with his experiment. You should leave us for the time being and come later."

"Oh, he's busy?"

"Yes, he is."

"I'll wait here," the blond smiled.

"There is no need for you to do so. You will only hinder our…"

"This barrier is put so that I will not hinder your work, right?" Demyx countered, placing a single finger to the barrier in front of him. The barrier resonated in response.

"…Come back here later, I will inform Zexion of you."

Demyx frowned. He turned his back, about to head above ground, but then he stopped. "You're hiding something. There is something going on in there, isn't it?" he asked with a deep, demanding tone.

--

Colorful glasses could be seen gracing the ceilings of the Cathedral. As the redhead opened his eyes, he soon found out that he was not in the pathway towards the cathedral anymore. As he registered in his surrounding, he soon came into realization that he was already inside where he was headed. What happened?

"Oh, are you okay?!" a brunet wearing robes ran towards him, grinning happily.

A silver head went over to check the King's pulse. "He seems to be normal. I thought he'd die for a while there," he shrugged and smiled.

"Riku, that's not nice."

"What does he expect? Walking that frozen path like that without any preparation. It's a good thing that I'm also out and heading for the town."

Axel slowly sat up and hugged one of his knees. "Is there something I should know of?" he inquired, watching the two familiar figures.

"Yeah, Riku found you. It seems you have collapsed and he brought you back here," the brunet replied, still with a warm smile on his face. The huge white head he was wearing blocked his hair from view.

The boy named Riku wore a dark, long robe with beautiful embroidery at the sleeves.

"…thanks." Axel muttered, not exactly meaning it.

"Sure," the silver head muttered. "So, I suppose you've found the cure for him?"

"Explain."

"Huh?"

"I don't know about any cure. I've just arrived here and I was directed here to seek for my answers. What happened here?"

"Are you Axel?" the brunet frowned.

"Of course he's Axel, Sora. The whole town will never forget the face of this criminal. And now he has come back and acted innocent as if nothing had happened." Riku scoffed.

"The Axel Roxas know will never do anything like that. Have you forgotten? When he set out, he was so determined that he will come back with a cure," Sora mumbled.

"Beats me. People can change in matter of seconds. I'm outta here," Riku answered dully, walking out of the room.

"Please forgive Riku. He has been… out of sorts, lately," Sora smiled. "Please rest and recuperate here while you can."

"Wait. Tell me what is happening." Axel demanded.

"That is not an easy question to answer, Axel… we all from this town…has been scarred because of your doing. You are nothing but a criminal to us, as Riku has said. Perhaps…it would be better if you see it for yourself… if you have really forgotten. Can you walk?"

"Yes." Axel nodded, standing up, trying to balance himself.

"Alright. Follow me." Sora walked ahead.

The King followed.

--

The cathedral was peaceful. Hymns from the distant could be heard soothing the entire building. Colorful rays shone into the huge area. Heaters were turned on, making the area warm. They trudged through the hallways, going across rooms. They passed through countless rooms. And at last, after descending the last stairs, they've arrived at a white double door.

"He's right behind here," Sora informed with a grim expression on his face. "Please enter," he stepped aside, making way for Axel to open the double door.

Axel stepped forward without hesitation. As he opened the double door, he found what he was looking for… but never what he had expected.

A beautiful, crystal blue statue was lying amidst the flower field in the round area. Sunlight was shining the gorgeous statue, but it was covered in thick solid ice, gracing the enticing form that Axel had grown so familiar of… Roxas…

Roxas was frozen solid.

The ice never melting.

A statue…

Kept in the town of Neige Verglas.

--

Ah, a week update, not so bad, right? : D

Thank you very much to **MeiLynn64** for the town's name. Yeah, go thank her! : D It's such a nice town name! x3 If any of you who are reading is from French, then you'll know the meaning. Neige means snow. And Verglas means thin sheet of ice covering a road. If I'm not horribly misinformed, that is. x3 Thank you, Mei!

For those of you who are interested in the songs I mentioned in the last chapter, you can find them here. http:// gracefulmarluxiaxi. deviantart. com (leave out the spaces)

So, hope you enjoyed! I really appreciate all your support!! They are what kept me going. : D And I will continue to do so for all of you!

Oh yeah, don't forget to check out the poll in my profile. Thank you!

Love,

terra.


	23. Trust

Oh gosh, people. Thank you for all your support, honestly. You are all very amazing people. I am sooo sorry for the late update... D; I should really be... uhm, I don't want any pain, but I do feel so bad for not updating for so long. This chapter has been stuck and has gone through some really major reconstruction over time.

**Read:**So, as I've said in the earlier chapters, **Firey Angelwings Axel** has so kindly put together songs that she thought fit to be DU's soundtracks. And I personally love her choices. You should really go check it out. :3 The link to her dA profile in on my profile. It's **GracefulMarluxiaXI.**I honestly listened to those songs when I was writing this chapter. X3 be sure to check them out~

**Note:**No, you are not seeing things. You'll know what I'm talking about once you've read the first paragraph of this chapter. I've changed a sentence in the previous chapter. If you didn't notice, that's awesome! xD If you do, feel free to go back and check the last section of the last chapter.

Okay, you've grind through this enough. xD

Without further ado, my lovely lovely friends!

Enjoy!

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 23**

**Trust**

The bells in the Cathedral rang loudly, echoing throughout the entire building, making beautiful noises amidst the uncomfortable silence. Chilling wind suddenly blew in the room as if whispering, trying to relay a message to the King. Sora hung his head low, swallowing, having no courage to lay his blue eyes upon the statue that was lying in the room. Axel took in a deep breath before walking into the room, stepping on the beautiful flowers of various colors that strangely grew on the mirror floor. Emerald eyes were glued on the small body encased in ice. He breathed in a small air.

"What did I do?" he questioned, frowning, but voice flat.

"You've really forgotten?"

"Refresh my memory." The King replied, voice soft and broken.

Sora swallowed again. "I don't really know exactly what happened… but… you broke Roxas' heart."

"I would never break his heart," Axel narrowed his eyes further.

"…as far as I know…Riku was the only one who watched everything happened. And that was what he informed everyone of. This town… this chill, this cold… he said everything was because of you…" Sora looked up to the bright ceiling of the cathedral, shining down upon him. "What I remember is… you… coming out of this room, not showing your face… saying shakily that you had broke _his_ heart. And you walked away…promising that you'll come back with a cure."

There was yet another silence as the redhead took in that dear expression of the blond, sleeping peacefully in the center of the flower field which was overflowing with bright colors. Roxas was the only one void of colors in that room, like the snow surrounding the enormous tree in the field. Only in this case… the tree—which was supposed to be the center of attention—was colorless.

"Axel, I believe we should go," Sora spoke apologetically. "There's really nothing you can do here… I'm sorry, but… you've given up, haven't you?"

Axel immediately shook his head as a response. "I'm not giving up."

Sora grinned brightly, taking off his priest head and bowed. "That's good to hear. I don't know why…but I feel like I can trust you. You might want to ask Riku about what happened…if you honestly forgot, that is."

Axel smirked and grinned. "I really might have forgotten. Where's that brat?"

Sora chuckled. "Right about now… Riku should be outside cutting the woods. I'll take you to him."

"Alright," the redhead nodded.

Sora was about to head out, expecting the other male to follow him. "Axel?"

"Can you wait for a sec?"

The brunet blinked a few times before smiling and nodding. "Sure." He stepped outside and closed the double door behind him.

Axel turned around to face where the statue was slumbering peacefully. He knelt down on one knee. Carefully, he reached out to touch the statue's hand, as if merely touching it would cause the ice statue to shatter in pieces. He inhaled a sharp breath. …Ice cold. There was no more of the blond's warmth. Roxas was as if dead, unresponsive to the world. How many times had the King watch his beloved dead before him? He had lost count.

He bent closer to cup Roxas' cheek, expression soft and gentle.

"I've hurt you?" he questioned silently. "I will undo this, Roxas. Let me reach you…"

At that, the redhead stood up, giving the statue one last gentle look before stepping out. Sora stepped aside when he saw the redhead coming out, looking at him. "Everything alright?" he asked casually.

"Yeah," Axel smiled.

"You know… those field of flowers… they grew when we lay Roxas in there. And… they never die… even after so many years. It's weird…"

"Roxas…"

"Anyway, let's go to where Riku is," Sora grinned, closing the double door and walking away.

The redhead followed.

--

"_Someday, when I die…I want to be resting on a field… the field will be overflowing with colorful flowers and grasses…and nature. And I will lie peacefully in the middle."_

"_Who gave you the permission to die?"_

"_Axel, you know death will reach us someday."_

"_Not when we can do something about it."_

--

"Hey, Riku," Sora waved as soon as he saw his silver haired best friend.

"Sora," Riku smiled, but his smile dropped when he saw the redhead that was following behind Sora. "Why is he still here?" he shrugged, saying casually, going back to chopping the woods.

"You can't very well tell him to go back to town. It's a long way and the sun will set soon."

"He can come here, he can also go back," Riku countered, voice flat.

"Riku…"

"Sora, as a priest, you really shouldn't be seen around the likes of him." The silver head lifted his axe up, hefting it on his shoulder with one hand on his waist. "I'm done," he informed, about to walk away.

"Wait, Riku."

"I want you to tell me what happened," Axel said, voice deep and determined. "Sora said that you saw everything."

"_You_ know everything that happened. Why do you ask me?"

"Because…I need answers."

"You killed and hurt Roxas for money," Riku answered easily.

"…"

"Axel would…never do anything like that…"

"He did. He killed Roxas because Roxas is a noble from up north. And he obtained a large amount of money from it."

"Is that true?" Axel questioned.

"Even after you've promised that you'll find a cure, you keep forgetting and coming back here. This is not the first time I see you around," Riku narrowed his eyes in disgust.

"But… if he killed Roxas…then, why?" Sora voiced, confused.

"Roxas somehow turned into ice. And the whole town turned cold along with him. Every time he forgets and comes back, the temperature dropped. Don't you think today is colder than usual, Sora?"

"Y-yeah…"

Riku put a hand to his chin. "Hey," he spoke.

Axel shifted his attention to the silver head.

"When I carry you back here, I saw a cave near the mountains to the northeast of the town. It's not used to be here. You might want to check it out."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Riku shrugged. "Beats me," he walked away. "C'mon Sora. You'll catch a cold."

"Riku, wait. Uh, Axel." Sora looked at the redhead.

"I'll be okay." Axel spoke, grinning. "Go on ahead."

The priest nodded. "Okay," and he ran after Riku.

Axel looked to the direction where Riku pointed earlier. "Large amount of money… Noble from up north. Death…" he muttered. "I think I know what this is all about…" he whispered to no one in particular.

--

He was outside the cave, shivering from the cold. Having no control of fire had turned him vulnerable to the weather. He hesitated for a second before stepping into the darkness of the cave. There was no wind inside, as opposed to the wind that blew furiously on the path he had taken there.

His footsteps echoed everywhere in the area.

There were dim lights.

"_You have come!"_ A voice said cheerily, ringing through the air.

"You…" Axel recognized that it was the voice of the angel that he faced earlier in the golden field.

"_Continue forward and do not look back. Block out all distractions. Tempted, and you will face your doom. Seek out the truth. Good luck."_

As the voice vanished, lights suddenly surrounded the cavern. And the redhead was able to see everything inside.

It was an ice cavern. Empty and hollow.

As he began walking on, there were branches of paths. He scanned the area carefully. Then, he paused as he reached the first intersection.

He looked to the side and his eyes went wide as he registered in what was happening. There was Roxas, chained to the wall, bleeding. The small fragile body was suffering a lot of wounds and a pool of blood was forming below him. "Roxas!" Axel called, reaching out.

"_You're never here… you're never here… when I need you… there's no one… no one…"_

The word rang throughout the ice cave, echoing endlessly. Roxas' voice was broken, flat, and lifeless.

"_A…xel…"_

The King was about ready to run into the corridor to save the blond, but he paused, stopping to think. The voice clearly warned him to not be tempted… was that really a temptation? But Roxas needed his help. And…all he should do was stand there and watch? That was all he could do?

"_Axel…"_the blond from afar lifted his head, eyes begging and pleading for rescue. _"Save me…"_

Axel narrowed his eyes, frowning, shaking his head in confusion. His palms formed fists, shaking and trembling from anger. His legs were forcing him to move, but he stood still, battling against himself. He gritted his teeth, never before had he been so confused and torn. He didn't know which path he should take. Should he go on and leave the injured Roxas in front of him? But… he couldn't…

However, if he did go and save Roxas… would that mean that he would fail his trial?

"_Axel…what are you doing? Don't you love me anymore? A… AHH!!"_ Roxas shouted as suddenly, wounds began appearing in his body and blood crept out eerily. The blond cringed and thrashed in pain. Chains were clinking and clunking together, making horrible noises in that closed up dungeon.

"Roxas!" he shouted, still unclear on which course of action he should take. Taking a first step, he moved himself closer to that path. Then, he took another step, then another, another… and he was running into that path, summoning his chakrams.

The Roxas who was chained to the wall smirked silently, his head hung low. Then, his laugh grew into a maniacal laughter. "You fell for it," he grinned, cold and cruel.

It was then that Axel knew he had picked the wrong choice.

"Too bad, King. It's really a shame. You've let your emotions outgrow you. Though I have to say… I am touched that you've purposefully went against the rule in order to save me. This makes me doubt my decision on whether or not I should kill you."

Axel stood still, wary, watching the blond in front of him carefully. "You're… Anti?" he whispered.

"You seem to be able to differentiate all of us really well, King. I'm impressed." The chains disintegrated and Roxas was freed. "Here's how it is. If you can perfectly answer my questions, I'll let you go. Otherwise…"

"…"

"Can you guess what is happening here?"

"You're trying to frame me for something."

"But it's the truth!" Anti laughed maniacally. "You killed Roxas, didn't you? You inflicted pain upon him!" he smirked, chuckling darkly. "Remember what you did the first time Roxas was labeled as an 'intruder' when he arrived there?"

Axel narrowed his eyes.

"You broke him… again and again. Why is that? …Because you're heartless."

"No. It's because I forgot."

"Ah… you've forgotten again, huh?" God laughed, obviously amused. "You always forget."

"…I can say for sure that it's not intentional," Axel stated knowingly. "You must have done something to our memories, didn't you? That's why every time Roxas and I were separated and reunited again…we never have immediate recalls of each other."

God smirked and frowned at the same time. "You're framing me? You have the nerve doing that in my realm."

As God began to float on where he was standing, he clicked his tongue and almost as immediately, infinitesimal pieces of solid ice sped to Axel's direction. The King summoned his chakrams, trying his best to deflect the attack, but wasn't very successful. There was a loud clunk as Axel withstood the attack and dashed in to assault God. God was quick enough to summon Oathkeeper and parried the King's attack almost too easily with one hand.

"You are weak, King. Do you notice?" the blond angel frowned, grinning. "You're… really _weak_." He laughed maniacally then, and slashed the sharp edge of his keyblade down to Axel's shoulder, inflicting a heavy wound. The redhead knelt down on one of his knees, panting. One of his chakrams fell off from his grasp. The other was held firmly. "How does it feel like? Being inferior?" God asked as he lifted Axel's chin using the tip of his keyblade.

Axel growled.

"Not fun, huh? Well, I'll let you go for now. It wouldn't be as much entertainment for me if you die here," the blond smirked. "I would love to see your decision in the final trial. Good luck until then, King. Remember the rules. Don't go getting yourself killed."

"Wait... why are you helping me?" Axel inquired, panting.

God laughed. "_Helping _you? I am certainly not helping you, King. Don't get me wrong. It's better to see you tortured rather than kill you immediately."

"What about Roxas?"

"What about him?"

"You think it will bring him happiness?"

Anti-Roxas was silent for a while. "I know what's best for him. He will come to understand." Then, he walked away.

Axel stood up from where he was, pushing forward even with the heavy wound on his shoulder.

--

As the King ventured further into the ice dungeon, he saw more and more distractions. Needless to say, he was tempted. However, he knew that he wasn't supposed to. He kept seeing Roxas, tortured and wanting for his help. It was getting old for him for a while.

Alas, he arrived to a dead end. The end of the dungeon. His face was pale, having lost so much blood.

He inhaled a deep, shaky breath and coughed. White puffs were forming out of his mouth out of the severe low temperature in the area.

The redhead walked forward and pushed the ice wall in front of him. And he was right, the huge wall opened, giving a new path for the redhead. He stepped inside. Unlike the severe cold he was experiencing before, the temperature suddenly boomed up. Fire surrounded him and the wall behind him shut close.

It was bizarre how he felt the high temperature of the fire was hurting him, causing him pain. Fire was always a medium that he had gotten so used to that the increase in temperature always meant nothing to him. But now, the searing fire was killing him, burning him slowly, threatening to turn him into ashes. He panted as the heat seeped into his very being and as the blood inside him boiled.

Stepping forward, he found an area that was overflowing with red hot lava. The place was surrounded by rows of dark colored mountains. Everything was blazing.

"Welcome. Doesn't this place look familiar?" An angel flew down and floated in front of him. "Why, this is the outside of your Underworld itself. It's really simple what you have to do for your second trial, really. Kill me and you will gain your control over fire back."

"And you think I would fall for that?"

The blond angel chuckled. "Do you think this is trickery?"

Axel narrowed his eyes.

"Don't you trust me?"

Silence.

"I'm merely giving you the rule. I'm the only thing that's standing between you and your way forward. You merely have to get rid of the obstacle. Axel, you have to have a strong heart in order to be a King. Even more so when you're the King of the Underworld. Killing someone like me—who is probably not Roxas means nothing."

Axel stood in doubts, not really knowing what he should do. Did the first rule still apply? Without thinking any further, the redhead growled, dashing forward to attack the blond angel. When the blond dodged, as he had expected, he spun his chakrams and threw them, targeting his opponent. The chakrams chased after the angel and the angel gracefully dodged and parried the weapons.

"I can't believe you really attacked me, Axel!" the Celestian protested.

Axel didn't listen and he kept on attacking blindly, assaulting mercilessly.

He threw one of his chakrams and used another one to parry the angel's attack. Metals were clunking and sparks could be seen flying out as their weapons made contact with one another. The stream of lava and the heat were burning strong. They rose in temperature, as if cheering for the fight.

Axel took in a deep breath as his chakram flew back to him and he caught it easily. The blond flew forward to assault him and he dodged back. The King never missed a single opportunity to harm the blond. His attacks were precise and merciless and he didn't seem to doubt or even hesitate.

Finally, before long, the angel was down as the chakrams slit through those pure white wings, not cutting them off, but inflicting pain upon them, slowly draining the Celestian's health.

The both panted.

"Finish me," the angelic blond spoke, lying on the ground, barely having enough energy to speak.

"..." Axel didn't speak. He was surprised that he could actually beat the blond in a fight. "No," he finally replied, dismissing his chakrams. "I don't need to kill my obstacles in order to get through," he chuckled, grinning knowingly. "All that I have to do is walk around the obstacle, like this." To prove his point, he walked around Roxas.

The angel pouted. "You can't do that. Don't you want to reach Roxas?"

"I sure do. And I don't care if I don't pass this trial. I'm sure that I am capable of reaching him. I have no reason to kill you."

"Getting to Roxas is reason enough to kill me."

"I've made bad decisions before, Roxas. And I'm not going to let my emotions get the best of me again."

Without saying anything anymore, the redhead stepped forward, ignoring the angel. He finally reached an open area where a single ball of fire was floating in the center. With much effort, he walked to the center of the lava filled plain. The heat was threatening to burn and scorch his soul, his very being—determined in turning him into ashes.

As he stepped forward and touched the ball of fire, he could feel energy surging into him. It only lasted for a second, but he knew that he had his ability to control fire back as he didn't feel the heat anymore. The just wild fire was becoming tame under his presence.

He tried summoning fire and the element obeyed him, swirling around excitedly around him, not even burning him.

"Where are you going?" the angel panted, inquiring as he saw Axel about to walk out of the trial.

"Saving Roxas... and the town."

--

The redhead was standing in front of the entrance to the town, eyes actively darting around the area, as if searching for something—scanning. He took in a breath as he gathered up all the warmth available around him. And soon, a drop of fire touched the cold ground...

A bright light shone...

As the King opened his eyes...

The area was...purged.

It was warm. The snow was gone. There was no more of the pale, white scenery that he had grown accustomed to during the time he was there.

And the flowers were blooming. The snow in the field was all wiped out and a field of beautiful green grasses spread across the area, surrounding the colorful tree. Even the fountain, in the middle of the town square...its water was shimmering, shining, flowing beautifully, making incredibly peaceful noises.

He slowly reached out to feel the water against him.

"It's...it's warm!" a woman said, slowly coming out of one of the houses.

"The snow... it's gone!"

"Look, the flowers!"

"The fountain!"

"No more ice!"

"...Axel, did you do this?"

Axel turned as he felt a soft tap against his shoulder. He found the black haired girl, Xion, standing in front of him.

"Thank you so much. Thank you for bringing warmth back again to the town of Neige Verglas."

"..." Axel narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Does this town used to be warm?"

"Yes, yes it was. It was so beautiful here. The spring. Winter only comes at the end of December and lasted for only three months before the spring once again grace us with its beauty," Xion smiled.

The inhabitants of the town were cheering, welcoming the warmth in the town square. The snow was finally gone at last... after such a long time.

"Then, why is this town named Neige Verglas?"

"From what I heard, snow used to be a really..."

"Snow used to be a blessing for us..." a blonde interjected.

"Naminé," Xion smiled.

"We have Spring for nine months in a year and this is the only place that snows in the area... the snow is so beautiful in here. It forms a really thin sheet of ice on the ground and you can see your own reflection on them," Naminé explained. "Winter is our pride. Thank you, Axel. Thank you for bringing warmth back again."

"It's alright."

"What about Roxas? Is he alright now?"

Axel's eyes widened for a moment before he ran away without saying anything. Towards the direction of the Cathedral.

"He's as absent-minded as ever," Xion commented, smiling, resting a hand gently on Naminé's shoulder.

Naminé merely smiled sweetly as he watched the redhead disappeared.

--

When he finally arrived, he was greeted by a very cheerful priest of the Cathedral that immediately hugged and tackled him to the ground. Lost in his thought, Axel was unable to dodge the assault and he ended up landing on the hard, solid ground with the priest on top of him.

"Axel did it, Riku!" Sora cheered, getting up and jumping up and down in excitement.

Riku cleared his throat. "Sora, those were inappropriate behaviors for a priest."

Sora pouted.

"But, I guess it's okay... for special occasions."

The brunet grinned brightly, standing beside the silver head. "I said that he'll do it. I told ya he'll save the town."

"And I'm glad you're right," Riku smiled. "Thank you for that," his tone still held a bit of hostility towards the redhead.

"I don't need any thanks," the redhead chuckled. "How's Roxas?"

"Oh..." Sora bit his lower lips.

"Did something happen?" Axel asked.

"It will be easier if you see for yourself. Let's go," Riku guided the way.

--

When the King opened the double door, his eyes went wide. The field that was full of flowers was empty. There was nothing there except the cold, shining floor and a hollow in the middle of the area with the same beautiful statue in it.

"We came to check on him as soon as the town was back to normal. Roxas remains the same...but the flowers were gone..." Sora explained grimly, his head hung low.

"I guess it's not enough..." Riku whispered, tilting his head to the side, not understanding why.

Axel stepped forward and knelt on one of his knees. Gently, so gently, he held the statue up into his arms, watching silently. "Roxas..." he whispered, voice soft. "Are you still mad at me for what I've done to you the first time we met?" he inquired, receiving no answer. "Is that why this town is created? Because you're closing your heart to me?" he kept questioning even though the statue in front of him gave him no response. "Roxas, where are you? Are you that far beyond reach?"

"...Axel, it's no use," Sora shook his head.

The redhead slowly cupped the blond's cheek, summoning fire to the tip of his fingers, concentrating his warmth around his hand, hoping that it would work.

Nothing happened.

"Let's just...go, Axel. We'll find another..."

Axel didn't give up, he kept transferring his warmth over to the statue. And slowly, the ice melted. The King took in a sharp breathe as he kept trying. Drops of water fell on the mirror floor.

Sora gasped. Riku watched, unresponsive.

The ice around the statue began to melt all over. And then... the blond's face could be seen. The face...of Roxas, his Roxas.

"Roxas," Axel called.

"Hi, Axel," the blond smiled. "Thank you..."

"Are you okay?" the redhead asked, voice laced with worry.

Before anything more could be exchanged within them... it suddenly turned dark.

--

The next thing the redhead could register in his mind was that he was back in the golden field...

Back to where he started...

Back to where the blond was...

There, in the middle.

So close...

Roxas was finally within his reach.

--

Hope you enjoyed. Looks like some of you are right after all. X3 haha, the trial will be only three. Well, well, this chapter is full of Axel's trial. I hope that's ok. Sorry again for leaving this fic hanging for so long. I've been working on gift fics and such. I've actually completed a six chapter akuroku fic. xD lol, so that's cool.

**IMPORTANT! PLOT EXPLANATION! READ! **I would like to clear up some confusion if any occurs.

The first trial is to simply test Axel's loyalty towards Roxas. To see if he would kill Angel-Roxas even though he was being wounded and assaulted.

The second trial is to actually test Axel's strength. As Anti-Roxas and the angel-Roxas repeated again and again, Axel is "weak." He can't reach Roxas if he's weak. So the actual test is for Axel to kill Roxas.

Axel passed the test. Why? Because he was not merciless and he had the strength to think on his own instead of blindly following what others told him to (killing angel-Roxas). This is of course a surprise to Anti, but we'll see about that. As for the "Axel killing Roxas, a noble from the north to gain money..." Roxas is 'killed' because he sang Harmony of the Sky—which will be explained in said fic. Noble from the north meant that Roxas is an angel from Celestia. Gaining money meant gaining power from Roxas' death. This is actually Anti's way of blaming Roxas for the tragedy of Harmony of the Sky. This is actually still raw. But we'll get to see how it's developed in HotS.

And yeah, that's it for those of you who are curious and looking closely into the fic.

I do hope that I don't create any plotholes.

Oh, one more important thing. **Insanecat6 **pointed out how Axel treated Roxas in the beginning of the fic. Axel basically umm... raped Roxas, no? –shot- well, my reason for that is that Anti somehow altered Axel and Roxas' memories every time they meet. Of course, this could be done easily by using Naminé's power. So, Axel being the King of the Underworld with a bad relationship with Celestians—well, let's just say that bad vibes were formed between them. Their memories returned as it progressed and also their emotions and feelings to one another.

So, why Neige Verglas, a cold town? The town was actually a real town that exists in the middle/human world. It manifested from Roxas' desire to see the snow. Not only that, but it was actually a manifestation of the pain in his heart (referring back to how Axel had treated him since chapter 1) He closed himself up from Axel, hurt from what the King had done to him and thus, forming the solid cold ice that took away the warmth of the town.

Axel eventually broke the ice case that turned Roxas into a statue. So that meant that he got Roxas' heart to open up to him.

More will be explained in the third trial.

Why did Anti/God send Roxas to meet Axel over and over again?

Simple, he wanted Roxas to hate Axel. And then, he could begin to erase the good memories that Roxas had about Axel and keep the bad ones. He thought that as the hostility developed, he would be able to use Roxas to eliminate the King of the Underworld, which of course didn't go well because Naminé apparently didn't do her job well and she ended up being eliminated by God. And of course, God wanted Roxas to himself, but he found pleasure in using others. In addition, he wanted Roxas to see how evil Axel could become and end the King with his (Roxas) own hands.

One last thing... why do I come up with all of these huge chunks of information? Simple, because I don't see any place to put them together in the actual fic and explain them. I actually wanted you all to form the connections, but I thought that it would be too confusing and that I will just form plotholes since I'm pretty sure that some of you don't read Harmony of the Sky. But of course, these explanations are just my way of seeing it and what's in my thought currently (1:20 AM, I _am_ tired, lol) You are free to assume what is best for this fic.

And those explanations... in case you are wondering, Axel already knew about all of that in his head. I should be explaining all of these in the fic, but honestly, I think that I will end up forming a rather boring monologue and a whole bunch of flashbacks and stuff.

That's my explanation. I sure hope you all read this though. It's **IMPORTANT and MUST READ because it's connected with the PLOT!**

Whoo! LOL. Okay. Feel free to send me questions. And help for pointing out plotholes will be very appreciated.

Thank You!

Love.


	24. The End of the Trial

**Note: **Thanks very much for the reviews. I am really grateful that some of you are still reading.

Sorry again for the lateness.

Enjoy.

**Dark Underworld**

**Chapter 24**

**The End of the Trial**

His goal was just ahead of him. Without any hesitation, he stepped forward, dashing toward where the blond was. That feature, that small and delicate body, those golden locks. There was no mistaking it, _that_ was his Roxas. No one else. He knew. It was not the Angel. It was not Anti. It was Roxas. His most cherished Celestian and bride.

The King instantly paused when he was just an arm away from the blond—the blond whose back was facing him. He took in a sharp breathe, registering his surroundings, the same golden field that was overflowing with wheat. The Sun was shining right above him. Its rays of yellow and orange blended together with the surroundings. "Roxas..." the redhead whispered.

The blonde turned and Axel was finally able to see his face. "Axel..." Roxas bit his upper lip, nodding. Then, he smiled his angelic smile. "How... are you doing?" he whispered.

Axel chuckled, laughing in amusement. "Do I seem good to you?" he commented, breathing out a sigh of relieve.

"You're injured. Certainly not..." Roxas laughed weakly, holding Axel at the arm. Afterwards, his index finger trailed down that strong arm of Axel's...and the wounds that the index finger touched closed and healed up within seconds. "All better," the blond said gently as he closed his eyes and opened his palm. Green particle of lights surrounded Axel and all the wounds and injuries that the King sustained disappeared.

"Thanks," Axel smiled.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this, Ax... I'm really sorry," Roxas whispered, hugging his own arms, hanging his head low in guilt.

"What are you sorry about?" the King chuckled, brushing Roxas' bangs away in order to get a better look of that adorable face. Those cerulean eyes that he missed so much... It felt as if it had been centuries since he saw them.

"The memories, they are all coming back, right? You remember?"

"Yes..."

"Axel... God... it's not his fault..."

"..."

"He's trying to protect me."

"You're being caged in here," Axel stated.

"That might be so. But..."

Before their conversation could last any longer, a violent wind blew passed them.

"How sweet, a reunion," God smirked, laughing maniacally, floating in the middle of the area, staring down at the two couple. "Can I join? Oh, I am so envious. You two are having such a great time! I almost feel bad for interrupting!" Then, he raised his palm.

"Axel!" Roxas immediately embraced the King as the redhead was about to fall to the ground.

Axel hissed in pain, feeling his chest burning, his heart throbbing against him, as if it was pricked by a thousand needles.

"What..." Roxas frowned.

"Roxas, you have no need for such a useless King. You have no need for someone who can't even protect you! All you need is me!"

Roxas took in a deep breath. "Axel, are you okay?" he asked, tone laced with concern and worry.

"This is nothing," the redhead smirked as he stood up straight, ignoring the pain that was slaughtering his insides mercilessly. He stepped forward, standing in front of Roxas.

"Roxas, tell me. Should I kill him? How much pain should I inflict upon this worthless man? Should I kill him slowly? Or should I end him once and for all? It's all your decision, Roxas."

"He is not a worthless man! He is Axel, the King of the Underworld, the person that I love! I want you to stop this instant and return to me!" Roxas shouted, narrowing his eyes in discomfort.

The wind blew harder.

"Return to you?" God roared. "Return to you?!"

"You are a part of me. And I love you," Roxas shook his head. "You are not God. You don't have the right to control and use others."

"I have the right to protect you. This is what you wanted, Roxas. This is what you want. I am merely acting on your behalf, based on your desires."

"I never desire any of this."

"Roxas..." Axel looked at the blond, as if asking for explanation.

God smirked then, his eyes were dark, lifeless. "You are God, Roxas and therefore, I am."

Axel frowned.

"This man is from the Underworld. And the Underworld is a proof of God's failure in creation. Don't you think that we should eliminate every single on of those lowly being? Starting with... him?"

Without letting a second delay, Axel summoned his chakrams. He jumped up, throwing his chakrams to the direction of God. God blocked the attack easily. "Axel!" Roxas shouted. Oblivion manifested in his right hand. He swiped his keyblade at God, but was blocked almost instantly.

"Roxas, you're protecting him? How amusing."

God immediately dodged as swords of fire manifested behind him, threatening to burn him.

Roxas took the opportunity to dash towards God and began to viciously assault him. God was able to dodge and parry every single attack, but never countering.

Roxas landed on the ground beside Axel then, panting.

"Roxas..." Axel whispered, taking the blond's palm and inserting a wedding ring in Roxas' ring finger. "I believe it's yours," he smiled.

Roxas flushed, Oathkeeper manifesting in his left hand. He held both of his keyblades firm. "Thank you."

Axel nodded, summoning fire to attack God, avoiding when God unleashed attacks on him. Roxas also did the same.

It didn't take long for both Axel and Roxas to lose their energy. They panted, both knowing that they had slim chance to defeat anti-Roxas.

Axel sustained damage, but Roxas didn't suffer any injury.

Roxas frowned. "He won't attack me…" he breathed, staying at Axel's side. "Are you okay?" he said, feeling guilty for getting Axel into all the pain and suffering.

Axel chuckled weakly, a string of blood dripping down the side of his face. "Isn't that good then? I don't want anything to happen to you, Angel."

Roxas flushed for a bit. "You know…" he whispered timidly. "…You are…" he bit his lower lip.

But then, he immediately grabbed Axel's wrist and dragged him out of that spot when a ball of energy was aimed towards his King. They successfully dodged the attack. "I am what?" Axel chuckled, hardly having any energy to stand up. His vision was blurry. The damage he suffered was severe. He was bathed in crimson as blood kept easing out of his system through all those wounds. And God kept assaulting him mercilessly, determined to kill him.

Roxas narrowed his eyes, glaring at God. He gripped both of his keyblade tight. "So out of character," he blurted out. "Don't die on me Axel, promise!" then, he jumped away, swiping, trying to hurt his mirror image.

"I am you, Roxas. Don't you know that you shouldn't attack me? Have you forgotten what I have done for you?"

Roxas didn't say anything, merely trying to attack the person before him, the angel who had stayed with him through his hard times, the same person who was also himself in all sorts of sense. Axel had made it so far… and Axel had succeeded in all his trials. It was his time to do something. But yet at the same time, he couldn't… he couldn't simply kill the person before him.

He gasped when he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. As he jolted out of his thoughts, he saw Axel beside him, helping him. "I can't…" the blond whispered desperately.

"It's in your hands, Roxas," Axel grinned. As he said that, he took both of Roxas' hands and handed over his chakrams to the angel. Roxas' eyes went wide as the chakrams fused with his keyblades. Forming Oathkeeper and Oblivion with the tip of chakrams. As he swung his keyblades, fire could be seen ignited from their tips, forming colorful orange and yellow flames.

Roxas' eyes grew wide. "Axel…"

Axel merely nodded and smiled up at him. "I trust you."

Roxas then closed his eyes and nodded his head. Then, he dashed to God with a determined expression. He flipped backwards, swinging and thrusting his keyblade but the attacks were parried. Afterwards, he somersaulted, landing on the ground and jumping up again as he swung Oblivion upwards. As God was avoiding, he disappeared, only to reappear behind his mirror image.

"What?" God gasped. Before he could do anything, he received a huge blow and was slammed to the ground. Roxas followed soon after using fire vines to tie God together. The he sat on top of him, thrusting both of his keyblades at both sides of God's head, panting.

"Return to me," Roxas stated.

"No," the other shook his head. He was about to summon an attack to get himself free but Roxas immediately cancelled the attack.

"I won't let you use my powers any longer."

The other groaned.

"Thank you," Roxas smiled.

"What?"

"Thank you for all you've done. It's enough now. I can protect myself," Roxas spoke softly. "Please…"

"But… …the Line of the World is in…"

"The Line of the World," Roxas whispered. "I will protect it. I will."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The other smiled and as the wind blew, he turned into particles of lights, entering Roxas' body. The other blond disappeared slowly into Roxas. Roxas could feel another soul entering him as he swallowed. Then, everything was still and calm. The field turned green and the sun was shining brightly, golden in the blue sky.

"Axel… he said something about the Line of the World… is it… …Axel!" Roxas yelled, immediately running towards the redhead who had knelt down, coughing and throwing up blood.

It eventually stopped, but Axel's lips were painted with crimson and a line of blood could be seen trailing down the corner of his lips. He quivered out of the pain.

"Axel…" Roxas was breathless, concerned of the well-being of the King.

"I'll be…alright."

"You don't look so."

"I'm still… too we…ak…"

Before Axel fell to the field of green grass, Roxas quickly caught him.

"Axel!"

--

The stream of Life was eerily quiet. The four angels flew across the hues of white and green, looking around, never once letting their guards down. Ven was the only one that was different from the rest due to his black wings.

"Watch out," Riku floated in his guard, summoning Way of Dawn. "Something's here..." he whispered. "Sora, stay near me."

"Alright," Sora nodded without any question or complaint, immediately flew behind the silver head.

Shadows sprung up out of nowhere.

"Heartless..." Aqua whispered.

Ven didn't say anything. His keyblade manifested in his hand and he began eliminating the enemies, followed by Riku and Aqua.

--

A loud strum echoed throughout the underground laboratory, glasses were broken. The laboratory was in turmoil. A lilac haired scientist was lying on the ground; unconscious, unknowing of what was happening.

"Vexen, what are you trying to do?!" Demyx yelled as he strummed his sitar, summoning water that solidified turned into razor sharp daggers. The daggers flew to Vexen's direction. The blond scientist easily blocked the attack, turning them into ice, effectively shattering the water-made dagger.

Demyx growled. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to win. Vexen was too strong for him. Zexion was within his reach, but he couldn't do anything... His water clones were easily eliminated by Vexen. "Don't stand in my way, you useless fool," Vexen hissed, swiping his hand upwards. Razor sharp iceberg burst up from Demyx's feet. The Mohawk blond gasped and quickly dodged before it was too late for him. He strummed his sitar once more and water particles appeared out of nowhere, forming around Demyx's form. The water quickly assaulted Vexen head on. The scientist didn't even flinch. He summoned his shield and the Demyx's water was rendered useless.

Demyx hissed and groaned. He avoided yet another ice attack from Vexen, panting horribly.

"This will be your grave, Demyx," Vexen laughed his villainous laugh.

"This won't be. I will defeat you!" Demyx stood up straight, pointing his index finger to the scientist while particles of water floated around him beautifully, surrounding him in a thin wall of pure liquid.

Vexen smirked. "Wrong move, fool."

Within an instant, the water around Demyx solidified and turned into sharp ice. They pierced into Demyx's flesh mercilessly and the temperature dropped immensely without a second delay. He gulped as he dreaded the fact that the liquid in his body would also turned solid because of the low temperature. He struggled and his sitar fell off his hands, shattered when it met the floor.

"Die, miserable creature," Vexen smirked.

And the ice around Demyx moved and grew. Demyx was slammed to the wall and he was crucified there, the ice piercing into his bone, his arms, legs, and then his abdomen. Blood came out of his mouth as he began to slowly lose his consciousness. The pain was surging into him.

Vexen was ready to launch an attack that would end Demyx once and for all, but he suddenly paused, releasing his shield, growling in pain.

"He... is not useless," Zexion hissed as he tried his best to fully regain his consciousness, standing up, unbalanced, panting. "He's Demyx," he added, lifting the laboratories' equipment to the air and aiming it towards the other scientist.

Vexen easily avoided the attack, but before he was able to counter, gunshots could be heard ringing in the air and a shadow swiped around the area in lightning speed.

The blond scientist took up his shield, effectively blocking the bullets from reaching him. He hissed, knowing that there was no more time to waste. With a single agile move, he was able to grab Zexion by the wrist and summoned a portal. Zexion tried to defend himself, but it was of no use. He had no energy and it was hard for him to even stand straight.

Vincent tried to follow, but eh portal zommed out immediately, eating Vexen and Zexion. He narrowed his eyes, knowing that he was too late, hoping that the Celestians would take care of the problems in the stream of life. He quickly went to attend to the blond sitarist.

He tried to break the ice that bounded the sitarist together, but to no avail.

Demyx was in a horrible condition…to the point that Vincent was sure there was no saving the sitarist anymore…

…

--

Marluxia stood in the Stream of Life, souls were gathered around him, preventing him from stepping forward—wanting to protect the hazy, white smoky barrier that was formed like a web, preventing entry to one particular corridor. He was calculating. And he stepped forward. None of the souls could prevent his entry as the Grim Reapers went to work and snatched away all the souls that were there. The Leader of the Grim Reaper, carrying the Leader of the Lilims—who was unconscious, stepped closer, facing the web barrier.

He summoned his scythe, still holding the unconscious Lilim. Then, he slashed his weapon to the web but was repelled and he backed away.

Larxene slowly regained consciousness.

"What are…"

"Ah, Larxene," the pink haired man smirked. "You're awake."

"So… this is the Stream of Life?" Larxene inquired as she stood up and floated with her small black wings.

"Yes. The Line of the World is just beyond there," Marluxia pointed to the dark, hollow corridor that lied beyond.

Larxene flew closer, ignoring the Grim Reapers around her that were killing all the souls. "And if we destroy that… the connection that all the worlds have now will be…"

"Severed. There will be no connections anymore. And every being will return to where they originally belong. Thank you for your help Larxene. Without you, I would never be able to find a way to get inside here."

"It's no problem, Marly," Larxene giggled.

Larxene, who was curious, went forward and gently touched the tip of her index finger to the web, only to earn a slight shock and quickly retrieved her finger. "Any way to get through this barrier?"

"I'm very sure that a sacrifice will suffice."

"A Sacrifice?" Larxene narrowed her eyes. "The Reapers or the Lilims?"

"It won't be enough."

"What do you mean?" the Lilim immediately grew wary.

Marluxia smirked once again before he disappeared out of the Lilim's sight. Without a warning, Larxene felt a sharp jolt at her back and she lost consciousness. The pink haired man caught the Lilim and landed gracefully with a scythe in his unoccupied hand.

"With this...and with the rest of the Lilims, every connection will finally be severed..." Marluxia laughed before he threw the body to the web.

There were screams and shrieks and limbs were disentangled. Pieces of flesh could be seen flying across all directions as sparks overflowed, tainting the once beautiful Stream of Life. The web slowly turned thinner and thinner with every single body it consumed.

And there was a man, standing there, watching it all happened, laughing maniacally.

"Finally…"

--

They are not very loyal after all, huh? :D

**Edit: **A poll for the ending is up. Please do take it. It would really help me out a lot in deciding. :3 xD though it might or might not happen. But please.. Thanks!!! -loves-

I'm sorry again for the late update.

Thank you for still reading.

Happy (belated) AkuRoku day!

Love.


	25. Messiah

I would like to thanks **Mei Lynn 64** for keeping me sane/insane, lol. xD it has been fun talking with you on yahoo/MSN. Hella fun! Hehe. I love you forever!

Also **BeehiveOneThreeZero** wrote me a very fantastic fic called **Fallen Fairytale**. The link is in my profile! Go read. It's amazing. If you all like gore, blood, and romance. This is definitely a must read. I love it so much!

And so, let go on with this chapter.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 25**

**Messiah**

Deep shaky breaths could be heard echoing across the Stream of Life. The four angels were battling against the endless swarm of enemies. The enemies kept re-appearing as if they were undead. And the Celestians were slowly losing their health even though they were merely fighting against minor weaklings.

"Let's just go," Ven suggested, killing off the row of enemies that was blocking the way to the corridor leading to the Line of the World.

Sora was silent. He was of no help at all. Merely standing there, being protected by Riku. He couldn't do anything without his keyblade.

"Sora! Let's go!" Riku yelled, grabbing the brunet by the wrist.

"Oh, sorry," Sora grinned sheepishly.

Meanwhile, Riku wasn't paying attention to the enemies around him as his attention was on Sora.

"Riku! Behind you!" Aqua shouted while swinging her keyblade to vanquish a small heartless in front of her. Ven was about to jump in to help Riku, but it was too late.

Sora's eyes opened wide. Without thinking it any further, he pushed Riku aside and prepared for the attack that was about to fall upon him. He shielded himself using his arm, preparing himself for the pain of the heartless' attack. Just right when the heartless was about to wound him, Oathkeeper manifested in his right hand and he successfully parried the attack, effectively killing the heartless.

"The keyblade!" Sora exclaimed. "It's back, Riku!"

Riku's eyes went wide, but then he smiled and sighed in relieve as he killed another one of those heartless. "You scared me."

Ven chuckled. "Alright, let's go! This way!" he led, clearing the way, followed by the other three.

--

The Leader of the Grim Reapers slowly walked inside the corridor. The coat he wore was stained with blood, but he didn't seem to care about the condition he was in. All the other barriers had been weakened due to the sacrifices that the pink haired man provided. Holding his scythe firm and with a single swift swipe, he easily slashed down the barriers that kept him from his destination.

He smirked, walking further in, taking down any barriers that blocked his way.

And finally, he reached an area that seemed like a room, dark and spacious.

That room contained a thick string of line, white and gray colored. Shrieks and screams could be heard, alerting everyone that there was an intruder within the interior of the Stream of Life… that there was a menace that would threaten the Line of the World's safety.

The Line of the World stretched from the far corner of the room to the other corner. Distorted faces, souls, wails, shrieks of help seeking for escape and release… all of them, echoing endlessly in that one room that was filled with hues of greens and blacks.

"Such nightmare…residing in the far corner of the Underworld," Marluxia narrowed his eyes, whispering. "This must be destroyed…"

He looked around again, investigating and scanning the area. The voices of the dead were starting to get into his head. And the hymns of the Singer in the Stream of Life could heard, obviously trying to cover up the noises and pleads of help, trying to drive the souls to sleep.

But the uproar of the fact that an intruder had disturbed their slumbers was far greater than the Singer's voice. It was their only chance of escape, their only chance to be set free…to finally relinquish their duties. The Messiah had arrived…their savior.

"I, Marluxia, have come to save you all."

The souls that formed the Line of the World roared, as if cheering for their Messiah.

Just as Marluxia was about to slash the line into two with the sharpness of his scythe, metals could be heard clunking together. A keyblade was thrown at his direction, wounding his arm, preventing him from doing what he was about to do. Then lights enshrouded the keyblade and it vanished, going back to its master. "Marluxia!" Ven yelled. "I won't allow you to destroy the Line of the World!"

Marluxia smirked, holding his injured arm, his scythe was summoned back to him in an instant and Riku, Sora, and Aqua immediately zoomed in to Marluxia, preventing the Leader of the Grim Reaper from destroying the Line. Metals were clunking. The three angels were cooperating together to defeat the pink haired man.

Ven, however, was looking around the area, floating with the aid of his black wings. The barrier, everything was shattered. And the only object that was protecting the "connection" was the Line of the World. They must protect the Line… no matter what it took.

…There was another presence in the Stream of Life…

What was this unnerving feeling that was plaguing him ever since he first stepped foot in there?

Soon, without any further dawdling, he went in to help the other angels. They panted. The four kept assaulting and defending one another. However, Marluxia never seemed to waver. He was not letting his guard down. How could a single Leader of the Reapers be so strong?

The Line was merely a single swipe away and it would be gone.

The Celestians fought long and hard in order to protect what was left of the "connection."

"Aqua!" Ven shouted as Aqua was slammed away by Marluxia's attack. The blue haired angel let out a groan of pain as she hit the wall. Wounds covered her fragile body and her keyblade disappeared as its master lost her consciousness to the world.

"Fool," Marluxia laughed as he swiped his scythe to Ven, effectively injuring the angel's side and with a single kick, Ven was slammed to the other wall. While Marluxia's guard was down, Sora quickly stabbed his keyblade to the Leader of the Reapers. He was successful... his keyblade went through the man's abdomen, passing through his flesh…

Blood tainted Oathkeeper, dripping down and disappearing in the ground of hues. Sora's eyes went wide. Did they win? Riku also stabbed Way of the Dawn straight to where Marluxia's heart was located.

Time was as if paused. No one moved. Heavy breathings could be heard amidst the screams and wails of the souls and the faint hymns of the Singer.

And then, there was another presence… somewhere hidden… a dark presence the enveloped the area. Riku scanned around warily, narrowing his eyes, only to find nothing. Sora took in a deep breath.

Two keyblades were connected to Marluxia's body and the man didn't budge.

"Riku!" Sora yelled as he grabbed the silver head angel by the wrist. He immediately flew away, avoiding an attack. But he was too late as Riku was assaulted and was soon enwrapped in a case of ice.

Vexen, who was carrying Zexion, chuckled.

"Very good, Vexen," Marluxia spoke darkly, taking out both of the keyblades out of his body without any effort.

Sora trembled in fear, standing there. His comrades had fallen. Ven was bleeding, Aqua was wounded, Riku was encased in ice… And he was floating there in the presence of evil before him with no aide. Zexion was also unconscious. "What are you?" he whispered, Oathkeeper disappeared from where it was and manifested in Sora's hand. "I will _not_ let you win!" the angel exclaimed, determination in his voice.

"And you, a mere angel…think that you can defeat the Messiah?" Marluxia chuckled in amusement.

"Messiah?" Sora frowned, panting. The injuries that he had suffer, his arms, his legs… his very being was slowly being sucked out of him.

"Yes."

--

Emerald eyes fluttered open slowly. They squinted as they adjusted to the light, blinking again and again to clear the blurry and hazy vision.

The King groaned as he sat up slowly, palm pressed flat to his forehead, eyes shut closed. He was having a horrible headache and he felt nausea.

"You're awake?" a kind and gentle voice could be heard ringing in the silent air.

Axel shook his head for a bit in order to focus. "Where are we?" he asked, taking in a deep breath.

"Still in my unconscious realm," the blond answered, hugging his knees close.

"We're not getting out of here?"

"We should…" the blond whispered. "We really should… why don't you head out first… the exit should be that way…" he pointed weakly at a direction to the west where a field of flowers flourished, where it was dark and the stars were blinking, shining in their warm yellow light.

Axel frowned at the statements. "Well, what about you then?"

"I can't walk… I'm too weak to do so."

"What did you…" Axel gasped then, "You healed me…"

"I'm so glad you're okay," Roxas chuckled weakly. "Funny… even though I'm supposed to be god. I still get tired from performing a high level healing. I'm sorry for my weakness."

"You are not weak, Roxas," Axel grinned, leaning down, picking Roxas up, carrying the blond bridal style. "Let's get out of here. It's a nice place, but we have more to do out there, right?"

Roxas smiled. He wrapped his arms around the redhead's neck. Axel leaned down and claimed the Celestian's lips, kissing softly and lovingly. Roxas smiled into the kiss, flushing a little, remembering back the first time he and Axel kissed in the human world. Remembering back all the sweet times… the time when everything was still so simple… when nothing was complicated, when everything was so innocent… He didn't want to ever forget again.

They parted after a while, staring affectionately at one another. "Let's go," Axel stated.

Roxas nodded. Then, the redhead took a step forward with the blond secure in his arms. A step becoming two then three and four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten… and it became countless steps as they approached that light at the end of the tunnel—at the darkness of the night, where the star was shining and where the flowers and grasses were dancing cheerfully, as if welcoming them and also bidding farewell at the same time. The stars twinkled uneasily, as if trying to warn them of something, but it went unaware by both of them.

And soft, warm light enveloped the two beings as they stepped into the exit. Flashes of darkness could be seen floating around in midair and then they zoomed out, as if taking the King and the angel through space and time. And there was a bright, blinding light.

By the time the King opened his eyes, he registered in the place that he was in previously, Celestia. Everything was calm. The clouds were floating lazily on the sky and the silence lingered and echoed everywhere. There were no living beings in sight.

As if knowing what the angel wanted, he let the blond down. Roxas struggled to balance himself, holding on to the King's strong arm. Axel gladly assisted him, acting as his support. They walked around Celestia. Before long, the entire area shook violently.

"Ah!" Roxas lose his balance, kneeling on the surface of the soft cloud.

"Roxas," Axel called out, staying close to his angel. Never once did they let go of one another.

Roxas held on tight to Axel, as if hanging on to his life itself. He had a bad feeling.

Celestia… no…the entire world was shaking, trembling in fear—as if afraid to let go…

The blond angel took in a deep breath, praying silently. If only he weren't so weak, he would have been able to fly to the Underworld… He didn't even have the energy to fly. He needed rest. Then, he panted.

"Roxas, are you okay?" Axel asked, concern and worry lacing his tone.

"Axel… don't let go…"

_Please, don't let go…_

--

I can't say for sure how it will go from here on out. But I'm trying my best. Thank You!

I haven't yet replied to the reviews for the last chapter. I will get to do so in a while.

And the ending poll is still on.

Thank you.

Love.


	26. The Line of the World

Quick Update. Because really, the update of chapter 25… really didn't say anything much. X3

Enjoy!

**Chapter 26**

**The Line of the World**

Sora shook his head in disbelieve. "You are not a Messiah," his voice was filled with determination and anger, frustrated that his comrades were unconscious and injured…and yet, he didn't have the strength to help. He didn't have the power to protect.

"_This_ is God's sin."

"God doesn't sin!" Sora cried. "Don't defile God's name!"

"But he does," Marluxia chuckled. "You are a blind follower of God. The God that you know now was born out of an angel's selfishness and distrust. That God is nothing but a tormented soul filled with anger and rage, wanting nothing more than for the world to be destroyed. But it is not this God that created this foul and defiled place. It is the God that you know then… Cloud…"

"Father?!"

"Yes, Our Father," Vexen laughed, putting Zexion down. The lilac haired scientist was still unconscious.

"What did you do to him?!"

"I drugged him. He is required to do his job when he regains his consciousness," Vexen explained.

"Cloud created everything that is in this world. Goodness, evil, the worlds, the lines, all the beings inside it. It is His creation."

"You are of no position to speak ill of Father," Sora hissed. Cloud was always kind and generous. He always cared for him and Roxas, he was always worried about the well being of Celestia. He refused to accept anyone speaking ill of Him.

"I am the Messiah sent by Roxas' other, the other God—who had also murdered that vile God. The Line of the World must be destroyed in order to purge the sin of humanity. In order to repent once again and to calm the rage of the world. Do you know why this place is created?"

Sora hung his head low. "The Underworld is a Father's failed creation. He would have never guessed that the Souls of the Dead would become so strong and form as a unity to shape a world of their own. The Stream of Life is created to contain those souls. But by the time Father was finished creating the Stream, the Underworld had become such a strong world… so strong with an ever growing population that it would be too cruel to purge it. So, Father decided to leave the Underworld be and use the Stream of Life to contain the Souls of the Dead."

"You know quite a bit about all of this," Marluxia applauded mockingly.

"Father used to tell us a lot."

"Sora… Run…" Ven panted from the corner, struggling to get up, balancing himself, using the wall as his support. "Run!" he cried.

"And where do you suggest he run off to, boy?!" Vexen barked. "After the Line is disconnected, everything will be forgotten."

"You know a lot, but not as much as what Roxas know," Marluxia added.

"What do you mean?!" Sora demanded.

"I am quite sure that Ven must know a lot too… after all, he is the exact replica of Roxas, created by Anti-Roxas."

"Marluxia, stop this immediately," Ven commanded, summoning his keyblade.

"You know about the dark secrets of this place, Ven. You know very well that God uses this place to…"

"Silence!"

"What is going on? Tell me!"

Vexen scoffed. "This place is an extermination site."

"Extermination Site?"

"Beings that Father deemed no use anymore…defected beings… they are exterminated and purged here, killed and butchered with no mercy by the Exterminators and their souls will forever be contained. The Singers will sing their hymns for eternity, purifying the remaining menace and rage slowly. And the souls… are used as tools to keep the World stable. God is too incompetent to maintain the stability of the world. He resorted to using the souls."

"Cloud is only doing that to protect His creation and the connections, so all beings can live in peace," Ven countered. It proved hard for him to even stand up. He held his sides hard, hoping that he would be able to close the wound with just that.

"Cure!" Sora shouted as he raised his keyblade, healing and closing up Ven's wounds. "Cure!" he tried again, wanting to cure Aqua and Riku, but it didn't work. He didn't have enough power.

"And how many souls do you think are decaying and sacrificed again and again every year in order to keep the Line alive?" Vexen inquired.

"Do you see familiar souls in there, Sora?" Marluxia asked.

Sora shook his head uncertainly, not wanting to listen to what the enemies were saying. However, he found it hard to not focus when someone had already asked him such question. He concentrated on the distorted faces that formed the Line of the World and he saw… his friends, the angels, the people he knew…

The angel swallowed. "Roxas knows about all of this?"

"Of course. Why do you think Roxas didn't stop his Anti when he has the full capability of doing so in the first place?"

"Why?"

"Because the new God knows what to do. The reason Roxas was sent in the Underworld was for him to destroy the Line of the World. Sadly, he recovered his memory before he fulfilled his mission."

"You are not making any sense…" Sora shook his head.

"Don't listen to them, Sora. They're playing with your heads. God wants nothing more than the best for us."

"Join us, Sora. Look at your comrades, the people you know, protecting the Line. The Line must be destroyed so that no more souls will be sacrificed. And you can do that… with your keyblade. You will be able to free them from suffering."

Sora hesitated. His palms curled into fists. "You are spreading lies. I know without a doubt that Roxas would never want the world's connection to be severed. He wants to protect it and so are the souls."

"Typical. I have no use for useless Celestians who know nothing than to sacrifice other beings for their own happiness."

With a nod from Marluxia, Vexen summoned ice to Ven's direction. Ven quickly dodged, rolling to the sides and dodged again as he was assaulted continuously. While Vexen was fighting Ven, Marluxia dashed over to Sora's side, swiping his scythe, intending to take the angel down. Sora took in a sharp breath and immediately stepped back, backing away and backing away even more, parrying and trying for a counterattack.

It was a fierce battle. But there was no doubt that it was a lost cause.

Ven kept trying to get close to the scientist, trying to find an opportunity to strike, but Vexen never let down. Ice kept appearing on the surface, threatening to spill blood... never once satiated no matter how much crimson had been sacrificed. The blond angel eventually flew in, black feathers beautifully tear away from his wings, floating in midair as he prepared himself to strike the blond scientist. He struck down hard, cutting through the scientist's shoulder. He pulled away his blood tainted keyblade. Ruby liquid kept dripping, endlessly… pulled down by the power of gravity.

The beautiful yet at the same time terrifying hymns of the Singers kept echoing…

Vexen groaned, panting. "Ignorant fool!" he roared, trying to attack Ven again. Ven was injured this time by the shower of razor sharp icicle. He cried. Then, he went in, not caring about the pain he was in. His target was set right in front of him. He just had to take Vexen down.

Aqua panted, gaining her consciousness, slowly adjusting herself to the sight before her. She gasped, quickly spreading her wings, summoning her keyblade and flying over to help. But before she could do so, a force so powerful kept her in place. She was immobilized, paralyzed…unable to move her limbs no matter how hard she tried. Her eyes went wide as pain rushed into her body. She groaned. What was happening to her? Her keyblade went out of her grasp, clunking on the floor and disappeared once again. She tried summoning it, but it was no use.

Sora dodged again and again. He was successful in injuring the Leader of the Grim Reaper, but the man never budged no matter how much pain was inflicted. The pink haired man was coated in blood, but it never seemed to bother him. He kept approaching and attacking insanely, prolonging the angel's suffering. Then, with a single strike… as Sora let his guard down… a single swipe…

Sora's head separated from its body…

His head flew over and eventually fell to the floor, rolling until it stopped, leaving an eerie trail of blood.

And the angel wings disappeared and vanished into the air…

And the headless body went limp, falling to the ground of hues.

"Sora!" Ven cried.

Vexen smirked, it was his chance to kill that one last surviving pesky angel. He summoned his ice, targeting with scary accuracy. However, his ice stopped halfway, as if blocked by a barrier. "I… won't let you!" Zexion whispered, standing up. The whole world was still hazy to his eyes. His brain wasn't working properly and the Stream of Life was spinning endlessly. His one eye was shut, hidden underneath his blood covered hair, Demyx's blood…

--

Vincent tried… He managed to break Demyx free from the ice and he immediately took the blond to the health room. He tried… but the sitarist' wounds were too severe.

The Healers also tried. They were all gathered up, determined to close up the wounds and stopped the bleeding.

However…

Demyx was human… and hence, his recovery rate was also that of a human…and even though he was immortal… it was no use. He would still die from injuries…

Now, he was lying breathless…

On one of the bed in the room…

Vincent mourned for the death of another trusted friend…

--

Zexion swallowed, trying his best to stay conscious, trying to purify the poison in his system. It would take time… and they were running out of time…

Ven immediately focused his attention back to his opponent. While Vexen was still in his surprised state, he took that opportunity without a second delay. With a single blow, he ended the scientist… stabbing straight to where the scientist' heart belonged.

And there was Marluxia…

And Ven suddenly felt… he couldn't move! "Urgh!" he groaned. "What is…" his keyblade went out of his grasp and disappeared, just as Aqua's.

"Ven!" Zexion yelled.

"I can't…m… ungh…"

"Ven! What did you do!?" Zexion demanded, glaring at the pink haired man before him. "Marluxia…."

Marluxia grinned charmingly. "I did nothing…"

"What are you…"

Marluxia stepped forward, slashing his scythe at the Line of the World now that there was no other obstacle. His scythe went straight passed through the Line…but nothing happened. "Just as He suspected. I need your aid, Zexion."

Zexion took a step back. "What do you want from me? What did you do to the others? Are you rebelling? You will receive your punishment when the King is back."

Marluxia laughed. "The King is probably still busy with his Queen. What do you think he would do right now? Now, Zexion… it is only you who can cut the line. Use your ability to fuse all the souls in this Line as one."

"No. Why do you think I would obey you?"

"Because… you have no choice…"

Zexion shook his head. "I will never obey you, even in my death. And even if I comply… with this amount of souls…"

"You will end up sacrificing yourself to fuse them together. Sacrifices are needed. Look at all your friends. They are my sacrifice. And you will be one of them."

"Why are you…" Before Zexion could continue, he felt his limbs went limped. And right before him, Marluxia suddenly shrieked and wailed in pain. Then… he was torn to pieces… pieces of flesh flew around the area… and one managed to get on Zexion's face and the rest covered his sides with crimson.

A man walked into the area. The man's eyes were filled with malice. They were cold and emotionless… they were merciless.

"Do as you're told…" His voice was deep and dark and it struck fear into any beings or souls who heard it.

"Yes…" Zexion nodded compliantly. He couldn't resist. His body was acting against his will.

Those acidic green eyes that glowed and fused together with the color of the Stream of Life… those eyes…

--

The tremors were becoming more and more violent. And the King hugged his angel tight, never once letting go. "Roxas…" he whispered gently, worried about Roxas' safety. The blond was pale…as pale as a corpse and his hands were cold… his overall temperature plummeted… Axel couldn't even feel the warmth from his angel anymore. He kept the blond close.

Roxas gripped at the front of Axel's clothes, burying his face in the King's chest, deeply inhaling the scent. It was all too late… too late… "Don't let go…" the blond whispered shakily.

"I won't, Roxas. I won't."

"I don't want to be separated again."

--

Zexion gathered all his energy, pouring out all his knowledge about fusing the souls as one. The knowledge that he just recently gained. No wonder Vexen suggested the idea of trying to find a way to fuse souls… it was all already planned out… it was all planned. And they were all pawns… pawns of that man… that man standing behind him, watching him.

The lilac haired scientist could feel his life beginning to ease away from his very being as he forced himself to fuse the souls together. The souls that were the Line… they were screaming, protesting, pleading for release… pleading for the intruders to not disturb them…

And…

Zexion fell to the ground, kneeling… then his body went limped as it hit the floor.

The lilac haired scientist lied there, lifeless.

The souls were now one.

The man took out his sword from its sheath.

With a single swipe…

The line of the world was no more.

And the Quake begun.

The world…

Enraged…

--

"We will not," Axel said, voice determined.

"We will! The Line of the World… this tremor… this feeling… all the malice that fills the air. The Line of the World is no more, Axel…"

Axel frowned. "What are you talking ab…"

He was silenced by the angel's kiss. The kiss was one of passion and longing… and they lingered there. A tear slid down the angel's cheek, down his jaw, and disappeared into the clouds.

"Rox…"

"Axel…" Roxas shook his head. "I love you," he whispered, swallowing deeply, cupping the redhead's cheek affectionately, as if knowing what was going to happen next. "Don't forget…"

"I won't…"

And it kept shaking…

So much that it eventually cut through the huge cloud the King and angels were on.

Roxas held tight and so did the redhead.

"Promise we'll meet again…"

"Roxas…" Axel frowned, shaking his head. He somehow knew what was going to happen, but at the same time found that it was…impossible…no, he wouldn't believe it. He was holding on so tight. They wouldn't be separated. They wouldn't be taken away from one another anymore.

Not after all that they had went through.

Not after all that... no…

And there was a sheer force.

Both didn't have the power to counter the force. The cloud tore into two, threatening to part the two… and it did… Roxas' grip loosened and so did Axel's. They held on tight… but somehow… their holds loosened…

And they were separated until it only the tip of their fingers that touched…

"Axe…" Roxas shook his head, still unable to stand up, reaching out as best as he could.

Axel took in a shaky breath. He was _not_ going to let go. Never. No.

But…

But…

And they were parted.

The connections…

No more…

And Roxas could only watch as he felt the entire area shook, trying to crawl over to the other side—to Axel's side.

And Axel also… trying to run over to Roxas' side…

But there was as if a transparent wall at the tip of the cloud, preventing them from falling down--from getting to one another.

Roxas pressed his palm firm against the transparent wall.

Axel summoned his chakram, determined to take down whatever it was. He slashed and slashed… but it was as if beating a brick. He summoned his fire… but it was swallowed… it was futile…

And he gave up eventually…

The King of the Underworld knelt down, one hand pressed firm against the barrier, and another pounding endlessly against the transparent wall, hoping that he could break it. "Roxas!" he cried. "Roxas!"

Roxas' cerulean eyes merely watched… his lips parted, but no words came out.

"_Don't forget…"_

"_I promise. I promise. We'll meet again! We will. Just like those other times…"_

--

I don't know how many of you are really interested in a sequel. But this definitely leads to an ending with a sequel. And hum… no this is not the end.

The end will be on the next chapter. :D

And so… DU is 27 chapter overall. X3 hehe. So yep. Please look forward to the end. I am planning to post it maybe around my birthday… for celebration. xD but my birthday is like still a month or so away… 8th October, lol. Well, I won't let you all wait too long anyway. But yeah… if I got the ending written out, I'll submit. :3 making people wait for a month is…just really not something that I'd do unless I'm in a really deep block.

So, thank you All!!

Love.


	27. Once Again

I wanna thanks **Becca-Yumi **for the art. :3 it had definitely bummed me up to write this.

At last. The Final Chapter.

Enjoy.

**Chapter 27**

**Once Again**

He walked around only to find nothing… the whole area was empty… it was scorching and burning endlessly. Mountains kept gurgling and coughing out endless sea of lava. He could hear disturbing and sickening screams and shrieks, echoing all around him. He tried to shut his ears with both hands, but it was no use. It was as if they were screaming to his head…directly into his head.

Common sense told him that he should have been incinerated into ashes just for standing there, half of his body swallowed by the lava. There was no doubt that there should be nothing left of him…

The air was heavy… there was malice lingering everywhere in it…

Then, as he was walking through the sea of red, the shrieks boomed louder.

And something flew passed him…

And another…

Another…

Another one…

They were as if souls… flying passed him—through him. He swallowed, wondering what those were. And those souls kept swirling passed by, as if heading to a significant direction. One of which he couldn't figure out where.

He paused as he gagged, his breath hitched in his throat.

Then, as he took another step forward, he stopped completely…

There was another person standing before him.

Souls kept speeding by… endless and countless of them.

It wasn't long before finally…everything went dark for him.

And all he remembered were those dark jade eyes… ones that were similar to his.

**--**

There was a hollow in his heart… as if something very important had been ripped away from him. But he had no idea what. He was intact and there was no part of him that was missing physically, he was sure of that. His emotions… his heart was racing… doubling in speed for absolutely no reason and he felt terror and fear… striking him… there was no menace around him… there was none. However, he couldn't help his feelings. It was as if his soul was trying to betray him.

He walked around the unfamiliar territory. His name was Roxas. Roxas… but who was he?

More importantly, where was he?

He looked around, only to find the darkened sky… even the clouds were bleached through with the gloomy color of the dark. It was as if the sky was holding back its tears.

He walked on the clouds.

The place itself was strange to him, but yet at the same time, he felt as if it was completely normal.

There were so many contradictions going on…

So many that he thought he was going to lose his sanity…

Then, it trembled.

He tried to stand upright, but he eventually lost his balance. He knelt down on one knee, waiting patiently until the tremble stopped. And it did.

Right at that moment, he could feel a horrible presence… somewhere in the air.

A presence that struck enormous fear into his very being.

He was aware, keeping his guard up.

It was until then that he was met with a pair of green blue eyes… those eyes were swirling with hatred and rage.

He couldn't find any way to protect himself. He didn't know what he should do. He should know…but he couldn't recall. His mind went blank.

And before he knew it, the clouds that kept him up on the air parted, giving way…

Then, he lost his footings…

And eventually, he fell into a deep slumber…

Even though he wasn't feeling sleepy to begin with.

**--**

He was falling and falling… endlessly pulled down by the heavy force of gravity. He was unconscious and his wings were sleeping with him, lying dormant. And he fell head first to the endless sea of blue… However, he was caught… in those pair of strong arms…unbalanced at first, but holding him tight and secure in the end.

Emerald eyes widened at the sight of the blond boy before him… slumbering serenely, breathing evenly… ever so peacefully. The owner of those emerald eyes took in a deep breath, confused and puzzled as he tilted his eyes to the side. Those pure, beautiful golden locks were framing the small, smooth face of the boy. He wondered what his eyes colors were at first—but then, he felt like he should know… as if there was this familiar sensation… but yet at the same time, very alien and unfamiliar.

The night sky was colored and painted by the beautiful sparkles of the stars. The soft wind was blowing gently, softly… the trees stood tall and strong. Their leaves were dancing, swinging with the direction of the wind. And the joyful singing of the crickets eliminated the heavy silence. The fireflies lighted the path of the owner of the emerald eyes as he slowly stepped out of the water, emerging with every step he took.

Ruby colored hair shimmered under the stare of the moon. The crimson spikes were dampened by the pure water of the lake.

Slowly, the redhead lay the boy down on the field of grass, making sure not to hurt the fragile looking blond. Before he stepped fully out of the water, he took his fresh white towel that was within reach. After he dried himself, he tied the towel around his lower body as he stepped on land.

Then, he wore his clothes, a simple work shirt with pants that stretches just above his ankle. Slipping in his simple slippers, he knelt down on one of his knees, watching the boy intently. He watched as the boy's eyes fluttered open softly, revealing soft, blue color of the sky.

There was silence as their eyes met.

The redhead grinned. "And what is your name?"

Cerulean eyes were scanning around the area, registering everything in. It took a while before the blond smiled kindly, releasing a short breath.

There was confusion and a sense of discomfort between the two. Fireflies started to gather around the blond boy, as if they had found some kind of attraction. Crickets were singing even more excitedly as if cheering.

Cerulean eyes were swirling with a mix of emotions. Strong emotions that the blond found hard to explain…yet those emotions were present and real. He smiled as a firefly decided to rest on the tip of his index finger. The little bug glowed there, dimming and glowing lazily with its warm yellow light. And then, it flew away after a while.

"That firefly is beautiful," he whispered, eyes following the direction of the firefly that disappeared into the woods.

The redhead chuckled, amused. "And so are the others surrounding you. I think they're becoming jealous."

The blond laughed softly. A firefly then rested on the tip of his nose. He didn't seem to mind at all. The other fireflies swirled around, spiraling around him, creating beautiful radiance.

The redhead's lips curled up in a small smile.

"Roxas, it's nice to meet you," the blond stood up from where he was, dusting himself off of the grasses that stuck to his angelic clothes.

The redhead shook the blond's hand. "Axel," he replied simply.

"Well, Axel. I'll be seeing you somewhere."

Axel stood up. "Where are you going?"

Roxas tilted his head to the side. "I don't know… I have no idea, actually."

There was a comfortable silence between the both of them. The crickets singing had ceased. The wind's whispers at the far away mountain could be heard. And the lake shimmered under the moonlight's graceful touch.

"Roxas…"

"Yeah?"

"Could you stay?" Axel requested, wondering why he asked that. He hardly knew the blond…

The blond turned, his back facing the redhead. He tilted his head up to stare at the starry night sky. The wind blew once again…

Taking his answer away with it…

_Once again…_

_--_

_Reconnect all the worlds…_

_Discover forgotten memories…_

_Relive all adventures…_

_And fill in the heart's emptiness…_

_--_

_Fin._

_--_

Yes, this is the end for now.

I'm still not entirely sure about the sequel. But chances are, there might be one for those of you who are interested. I hope this is alright. : D

Please do notice that I submit this in the middle of the night… 4AM. So, I haven't replied to your reviews for the last chapter yet. Sorry. I haven't slept since. So… yeah…

xD don't wanna keep you all waiting.

Thank you so much for staying with me until the end. I love you all sincerely! Your reviews and encouragements are what kept me going. Without you this fic wouldn't ever get finished.

Until next time. I wish for our paths to cross again.

Love for you all wonderful people.

I hope you enjoyed this whole fic.

terra hotaru.


	28. Chapter Beginning: Creation

**Note: **Hasn't DU ENDED?!!! Why does a new chapter alert come into my inbox?!!! –wth?!- lol. Yeah. That might be your reaction. But anyway. After replying to around 50 reviews that I failed to reply for DU, I come up with this kinda insanity. And so, lo and behold. I write this one for all of you who are reading! Thanks so much for everything you guys!!! You are all Awesome!

And I dunno. I might come up with random updates for DU time and again. We'll see.

**Disclaimer: **Each copyrighted objects belonged to their respective owners.

Enjoy!

**Dark Underworld **

**Chapter Beginning**

**Creation**

He sat there on his throne above the clouds. The fluffy white clouds served as curtains that blocked his vision to the emptiness down below. Somehow, he was glad for the fact that the clouds had done him a huge favor. He couldn't bear the hollowness that he saw every time he stared to that enormous space of nothingness. The void made him feel…lonely.

He released a deep breathy sigh. He wondered how long had it been… how much time had passed. How many times the sun and the moon had revolved around him, around the death and the hollow. He wondered if he were one of the hollow too, for he lived in nothingness. Therefore, shouldn't he mean nothing? After all, wasn't a meaning something that only other living creature could give him?

He had lost all sense. And he wasted the time he had by sitting and thinking. He had all the time he needed. Time was there for him, never once rushing him.

And it wasn't a surprise that he eventually wondered why he was the only…thing alive in that… space—whatever he would call it.

The endless horizon of clouds with him above it...

The sky would change in color as the day passed. It would mirror the color that was nearest and greatest in its brilliance. At day, it would bring out the radiant color of blue and also mirror the yellow-white brightness of the sun. At afternoon, it would depict the color of the burning, setting sun. A bright orange. At night, it turned gloomy, sinking and swallowing in the darkness.

He eventually stood up, reaching out and bending down, touching the softness of the cloud. Brilliant leaves of greens popped out of nowhere and from amidst those leaves, small white petals appeared one by one, forming a beautiful flower at the top of the plant. He saw that it was good. However, soon the plant withered and died, turning back into its original cloud form. He released another breathy sigh, crouching down, making circles on the cloud's puffs.

He contemplated.

He could actually create a plant from clouds. He wondered if he could do something else.

He dismissed the thought. Anything beyond that would only turn into clouds after a while. It was useless. He was all alone.

Cerulean eyes searched around, hoping for something to maybe appear in the middle of nowhere. But no… there was nothing.

It would all be even emptier if he hadn't created all the things that were around him.

The Sun, the Moon, the little speck of dusts up in the sky that gleamed only at dark, the soft fluffs that he called clouds… all was his creation. But below the clouds… there was emptiness… He hadn't yet created enough to fill the giant hole that was hidden by the curtains of clouds. Even so, with all the things he had created… it all still felt so empty. It was like he had done nothing at all. He was still all by himself.

Taking a fistful of clouds, he created a kind of wooden instrument in his hand, a flute. Raising his other arm, he created a rock pedestal where he sat down. He silently looked at the flute as if the piece of wood would magically talk to him somehow and he would have friends. Friends… he wondered where that word came from. If he had never had a friend before… how did he know about its existence? He didn't have an answer.

He put the piece of instrument to his lips and he released a soft breath. The flute gave a resounding sound through the hollow of the air. He closed his eyes as he began forming melodies with the instrument. It started out awkward and noisy at first, but he eventually got better at it. The soothing tunes echoed through the air, filling the hollow.

And he stopped as the instrument reverted back into clouds and as the pedestal disappeared and turned back into clouds again. "All creations eventually return to their original forms…" he whispered weakly, smiling a bit as he petted the fluffs of clouds.

He walked through the air. He parted the clouds and looked through the Sea of Hollow stretching far and beyond in front of him. He put his index finger to the tip of his nose, thinking for a bit. He bit his lower lip. Afterwards, with a flick of finger, he created more water, filling up more of the space. The pure white seas that were calm and still mirrored the color of the sky. But it was all too calm and too quiet and he wasn't satisfied.

And then, he summoned the wind. The seas, blown by the wind started creating waves. Their sounds travelled through the air to his ears. And he saw that it was good.

The first day, God created the seas.

--

The second day, God again, felt lonely. He looked around only to find nothing. He began to wonder why he would look around when he knew that he would only get the same result. He could hear the faint melody of the swishing of the seas and he saw that it was good. He loved the sounds of the sea dancing and swirling with the winds.

But then, as he walked in the air again, he saw that it was not perfect. Then, he created rocks near the seas and found out that he was right. The melodies were even better as the water hit the rocks. And then, he created the bigger version of rocks, which he named the mountains and the hills. They curved up in angle. The mountains were as if triangles, but sharp at the edge. In contrast, the hills were smoothed and rounded at the edge.

Then he saw it befitting to create greeneries around the hills. And he did, generating fields of grasses, and lands, and trees, bushes, flowers… and he saw that it was good.

The second day, God created the human world.

--

It was yet another day. Cerulean eyes were bright, gleaming in excitement, looking through what he had created in the past two days. It wasn't much. But he was relieved to find out that the world below the clouds wasn't a hollow anymore and somehow, it gave him a personal satisfaction. But then, as he walked in the air again, he found out that there was some part of the seas and the mountains and the hills and the grounds that went unreachable by the sunlight… that lingered in the darkness, untouched.

He walked around some more and found out that there was another hollow below that other world that he had created. He tilted his head to the side. He thought that he had filled in everything… but there was yet another space of emptiness. One that was really dark… where he could almost see nothing.

It was a world that was resting under the other worlds that he had created.

It was the Underworld. Then, a smile graced his expression.

He started creating again. However, instead of using the ball of fire that floated up in the sky as a source of light, he melted the ball of fire into hot liquid flames that burned and incinerated everything in its way, swimming around the ground of the Underworld. The liquid fire served as a source of light. And he created mountains and mountains and mountains everywhere. And everything was crimson red, glowing brilliantly in the dark.

But then, as the day ended, God came to realize that it… wasn't as good. No living being would live in that despicable piece of filth that he had created. It wasn't beautiful.

Yet at the same time, the color of red reminded him of something—as if he had a long forgotten memory.

However, he was all alone from the time before Creation. He wondered what his feelings were about. He shrugged it off. And finally erased the Underworld… but he hesitated. That long hard day work, should he delete it from existence? But it was of no use…

However…

Then, he decided to leave the Underworld be. He severed all the connections that would lead to the Underworld and left the Underworld there. No one would find out about that one creation of his. Only he would know.

… Who would find out? He was the only living being in that hollow world.

The third day, God created the Underworld, but severed the ties to said world.

--

God eventually saw that everything wasn't as lively as he would have liked it. As he walked through the air and observed again, he saw that everything was as hollow as it had been before he started Creation. Sticking his bottom lip out, he grabbed a fistful of what he called stars—the tiny speck of dusts in the sky—and he walked down to the human world. He swirled around, spreading the dusts everywhere.

The dusts flew, taken by the wind. Some went into the sea, crystallized and turned into corals and reefs, some travelled to the ground, becoming plants and greeneries, some to the mountains, creating cracks, some to Celestia—the world beyond—creating more stars and eventually plantations. The Underworld remained untouched for it was already forgotten.

The fourth day, God created the plants and perfected the World.

--

Then, God saw that it was all dead. What he had created… the plants were alive… however, they weren't moving and they weren't animated. He wondered how he could create life… maybe he could create something…someone that was the same as him. Maybe… just maybe. But how?

He sat there again on his throne. He parted the clouds so that he would be able to see down below. What he would call the Human World was perfect. The human… he wondered. What was a human? Someone such as himself would be a human. So, should he live there? But then again… he tilted his head to the side in confusion. Then, he sat up and sat down on the soft clouds, lying on his stomach, looking lazily.

Why was it called the Human World? Because he liked it.

And the world where his throne was was called Celestia. Representing the sky… he thought that Celestia was good.

He was alive and he was animated.

"Everything returns to its original state…" he mumbled.

And soon, his cerulean eyes went wide.

That was it!

He walked through the air again and he stopped at a tree. He observed until he found a small branch. Then, he snapped the branch into half, watching at the sharpness of its tip. He panted, releasing a deep breath. Shutting his eyes, he put the tip of the branch to his finger, drawing out blood.

The blood dripped to the clouds, staining the beautiful pure white with crimson red.

A little fluff of yellow could be seen coming out, animated, chirping, and living. And it flew off to the sky. God called it a bird… a creature that could fly.

Then as his blood kept dripping, more beings were created. They were animated and alive. Just as he was. However, they looked nothing like him… nothing. But he was excited. It was a huge step forward! He could create live! He could!

He needed more blood to create more of those beasts and animals.

And he began using the tip of the sharp branch to slit his arm.

And also in the Human World…

In the Fifth Day, God created the animals with his blood.

--

God was exhausted. He was pale as a corpse. The Creation that he had done the day before drained his very being. His wounds had healed mostly, but he was still exhausted. The pain was still there and he could barely stand. As he parted the clouds again, he could see that it was all good. The animals were feeding on the plantations. They made beautiful sounds. Birds were chirping, crickets were cricketing in the distance, horses neighed, cows mooed, cat meowed, dogs, barked… it was all well.

Then he started thinking again. He was having a headache and he felt as if his head was about to burst open. He had never felt like that before. And he thought that it was good. It made him feel alive.

He wondered how he could create a being such as him… someone that resembled him. Someone…maybe with the color of red and green instead of golden yellow and blue like him.

He didn't know why he would generate a creation with the color of red and green. Maybe it was because of the Underworld… the world of crimson and darkness—the false creation that he had attempted. Or maybe it was because of the plantation, the color of fresh green that soothed him.

He released a soft sigh. He could only create animals—beings that looked nothing like him, with his blood. He wondered what more he could do. His heart was pounding against his chest as his headache became worst.

His heart… pounding against his chest…

He had a heart…

It was pounding…

That was it!

A heart…

Maybe… just maybe…

He took in a deep breath, a very deep one. And he cried out as he used his hand to reach inside himself. He knelt down in pain. His hand was fully inside his chest. He reached around. Where was it? Blood kept dripping to his fingers, touching the clouds, creating more animals. He screamed in pain and the birds that were resting in the trees flew away, scared.

_There!_

He grabbed it. That little object called a heart that was pounding and beating against him. He took in a sharp breath as he prepared himself. He dragged out his heart. And he could hear some veins snapped and a giant hollow was created... a giant hollow inside him.

He trembled. It was painful… He shook and shivered…

With the last bit of his strength, he examined his heart. It was beating profusely in his hand. He held it gently, careful so that the precious thing wouldn't shatter. And he closed his eyes.

On the Sixth day, God created a human—the being that was similar to him… at the price of his own heart.

And the world turned dark for him.

--

"A-Are you alright?"

There was a voice. He could hear a gentle voice, speaking to him. Cerulean eyes fluttered opened slowly. A giant hole could be seen in his chest… a hollow. He shot up and shut his eyes due to the overwhelming pain. The soothing chirpings of the bird could be heard.

As he slowly gained vision of his surrounding, he slowly registered in everything. There… in front of him, bare without any clothes was a human… someone the same as him. With two eyes, a nose, a mouth, two arms, two legs… everything was the same. He cupped the others face. His hair was spiked. The color was bright crimson as it was touched by the gentle comfort of the sunlight. The color of the other's eyes weren't the same as his. They were bright jade, green. And he saw that it was all good.

"You…" he smiled—a smile of happiness.

"I…"

"Finally…" he took in a deep breath as he approached the redhead, circling his arms around the other's bare body. He buried his face into the hollow of the redhead's neck. "Finally… someone…"

The redhead returned the comforting gesture, hugging back with an equal show of emotion. He smiled. "I am here."

"_Welcome... to this world."_

At the Seventh Day, God welcomed the human.

And thus was the Creation.

--

Hum… Creation. O.O this makes me think…And yes, to clarify it. God IS Roxas and the first human IS Axel. Who created Roxas? –shrug- What about HotS reference? –shrug-

Let's say something happened on the way and Roxas isn't God anymore or something.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this surprise update!

Love.


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